Tribulation: Examination and Healing for Leaders

Tribulation: tribulation (ˌtrɪbjʊˈleɪʃən)
noun
1. a cause of distress
2. a state of suffering or distress.
Root: to afflict or to press or squeeze.

This word is for every christian who is in a position of leadership or ministry, either known or hidden where no one else sees.


We are in a time of being pressed, or squeezed, it is a time of being subjected to the pressures of the presence of the new wine. God is allowing testing of the wine skins to see if they will burst. He is attending to the weak areas, the places where we have been wet down by wisdom, and truth, but have not become pliable. In some places he is replacing with whole new skins, in others, He is re-wetting the old skins making them pliable again. He is using the truths that he has established in our lives, and re-affirming them.

He is preparing us for an outpouring of His new wine. He is examining our weaknesses and healing them with truth and with love if we will allow Him too. He is urgently pressing in at this task so that we will be pliable for what is about to burst forth.

from Alena Miles.


Cutting Off the Serpent's Head

a Word of Hope by Sean Feucht

This has been one of the wildest, most intense and dramatic summers of my entire life. Is anyone else out there in the same boat? Has this season of transition, collision and acceleration taken your breath away? The ups the downs, the highs the lows are completely unpredictable with no premeditated pattern. Each day seems to boast a multitude of challenges, opportunities, excitements, thrills, pains and joys.

I guess my personal "overwhelming" feeling could be loosely associated with the culmination of my first few weeks of fatherhood and the beginning of my 27th year living in this beautiful mess called humanity! I've caught wind this summer from many friends and leaders all over the world that are experiencing the same trends, and it has caused me to dig into the deep places of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2:10) for clear language and accurate articulation for what the Spirit is saying and doing in this hour.

One Venomous Snake

Two prime examples of this bizarre pattern of circumstances took place a couple weeks ago as I was on the way out to run errands in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This was exactly seven days after my little Keturah Liv was born and two days after my Grandpa (my dad's father) had passed away. My wife Kate was inside watching over our baby as she slept. As I walked through the front yard while texting on my phone (multi-tasking at its best), this massive black snake boasting large fangs lunged with all its might to strike my bare ankle. By the urging of some supernatural cosmic force (God), I looked up as this was taking place and vigorously jumped back and to the side just in time to miss the teeth and venom by less than two inches! Whew!

Without hesitation, I quickly ran into the garage in frantic search of a shovel and found a piece of bed frame in which to decapitate this almost five-foot long monster. I delivered the final blow only feet from the front door of our house (as it had the audacity to run "toward" the house from me). The whole ordeal was a brief 15 minutes long but kept me jittering for the better part of the day. After performing some due diligence, research on Wikipedia and insight from local neighbors, we identified the imposter as a Black Cottonmouth (scientific name here), known as a poisonous snake found on the East Coast. Upon striking a victim, the snake's venom quickly surges through the body en route to stop a beating heart. Yikes! So, pretty intense and quite gnarly right? Not your average Tuesday morning walk to the car? Even more peculiar about the whole thing: the neighbors have not seen a snake like it in the area in over a decade.

And Another...

If that was not enough, it all happened again during the final night of our Global Burn Summit on a ranch outside Dallas, Texas. Every year we gather a large percentage of our Burn 24-7 tribe scattered across the world for a weekend full of family, fun and the never-failing presence of God! For our largely decentralized and grassroots movement, this is our time every year to spend face time together with each other and get blasted with heavenly strategy from above. We had fiery leaders stream in from all across North America, Europe, the Middle East and even Australia, and it was a time we will never forget!

During the last night's session, I briefly stepped out to call my wife (who was in Virginia) to check on her and my new baby. As I was walking down the steps outside the meeting room, I was once again led to look up by a simple "nudge" of the Spirit inside me. At the bottom of the steps was a large, coiled-up snake with its head up and ready to strike! I could hardly believe it and had to scratch my eyes to make sure this was happening in the flesh!

I quickly jumped off to the side and grabbed a sharp ranch tool and chased the snake around (with some help) and cut its head off minutes later. Unfortunately, I smashed it pretty good and our best guess was identifying it as a rattle or bull snake. Both can be poisonous and painful to their victims. I immediately busted in to interrupt the impartation meeting with our leaders and proclaimed in a loud roar: "We are cutting off the serpent's head in this season and his strategies will NOT prevail!" The whole place erupted and we had a great time celebrating and welcoming in a new season of breakthrough across the world!

What Does This All Mean?

I have DEFINITELY been asking God for some serious interpretation to these odd situations (as I don't believe they are merely coincidence). Now I see "in part" but I believe a fuller picture is coming soon. Here is the revelation right now that I do posses as truth concerning this:

· The enemy is currently out on a rampage to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10) as he knows his time is quickly coming to an end.

· We have been given the Spirit to "guide us into all truth," and God has graced us with "eyes to see and ears to hear" in this season (John 16:13).

· We will resist the confusion, anxiety and many tasks of this world and our lives to respond to His voice (example: putting cell phone down to look up).

· As we are attentive, God will prompt us to "look up" to watch the enemy's strategies unveiled before our eyes. The demonic plans will not prevail over us.

· There will be an ease of "mere minutes" to destroy satan's plans.

· Our greatest tool to see the demonic powers defeated in this season will be the "bed frame" of intimacy (John 15) and time spent in His Presence.

· Authority will be released from this place of intimacy like never before. "I have given you (power and) authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19).

We Will Not Shrink Back!

Too many of these random but meaningful situations have taken place lately for me to side with fatalism or random coincidence. There is something brooding in the atmosphere over our cities and nations! Is it a ploy of the enemy to impose a barrage of distractions, setbacks and frustrating circumstances to cloud our focus and turn our attention more on the size of the waves than on the words of the Lord? If so, we could easily leverage these attacks and cry "woe is me" to further validate our timely excuses to give up or take a break. But according to Hebrews 10:39, that is no longer an option as the writer boldly declares over us:

"We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

Just as Jesus summoned Peter to walk on the water with the simple word"Come" (Matthew 14:29), the voice of God has declared prophetic words over our lives, families, cities and nations in this hour that will manifest provision, resources, stamina and divine breakthrough to finish the work. In agreement with Hebrews 12:2, He is not just the author of our faith, but the finisher. We also know that not a single word from the mouth of God will return void, but will accomplish and fulfill the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:11).

He Cannot Avoid the Inevitable

Even one of the enemy's most grandiose schemes to murder over 50 million innocent babies in America since 1973 on the altar of convenience reveals he is scrambling with his limited potential to delay the inevitable. The golden bowls of incense above our cities and nations are filling faster than any time in mankind's existence with the fervent prayers and passionate worship of the saints. The generation emerging from this holocaust carries a divine redemption and compounded destiny to "Pursue, Overtake and Recover All" (1 Samuel 30).

So many furnaces, houses of prayer and "Presence-focused" communities are being planted in the hardest and darkest nations that we can no longer even count them. The radiating light of our presence ("(We) are the light of the world..." Matthew 5) in "His Presence" is causing the darkness to flee with the simplicity and ease of switching on a light in a dark room. The global missions movement is ravaging the earth like a wildfire, and "knowing Jesus" is still the fastest-growing trend worldwide! It is now viral and unstoppable.This glorious and victorious end-time surge of momentum will not diminish and there is no going backwards from here.

Hey, that is GOOD NEWS!

This Living Hope

So what do we take solace and stand on in a season with so much transition? How do we process and thrive through the dichotomy, chaos, unpredictability, confusion, and unusual bliss yet deep despair? What is our position as it is all simultaneously crashing in? How do we refuse to get flustered from the "normal" jabs of the serpent to pester and discourage us with economic turmoil, relational strife, marital disunity and unusual silence from God?

HOPE. It is the four-letter word carrying the sound the world desperately longs to hear. The search for it has caused them to do crazy things (socially, economically, politically, etc). As Believers in Jesus Christ, we are bona fide "new creations" (Romans 8) with a "renewed mind" (Romans 12) and heavenly perspective. We do not think with the "carnal" minds of the world and are not on a wild goose hunt for meaning and value (despite any postmodern theology). Hope is our true reality. Hope is a Man we know very well.

These words below out of 1 Peter, chapter 1 have struck me and become a reality now more than ever before in this season with the passing of my father, grandfather and even the birth of my new baby girl:

"...He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (verses 3-5)

I love that the Bible clearly describes this hope as "living", meaning it is NOW active and FULLY alive.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold...may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (verses 6-7)

Burn 24/7 Tribe, lovers of God, and friends across the planet, I want to encourage you in this hour, regardless of your current circumstances, to press in for our true reality of this "living hope" we possess. Meditate on it, pray through it and allow it to become the fresh manna that nourishes your hungry soul. I would never sink into the mire of blind presumption and underestimate the trials, suffering and perils you may be facing. For this is a time of great shaking, shifting and transition. It could be hitting you financially, relationally, with disease in your body, lack of peace in your family, loss of a job, extravagant loss of a loved one (as in my case losing my father) and so on.

I have become even more sensitive and graced to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15) than ever before in this season with so much loss occurring across the globe. But just as I looked into the innocent and glorious eyes of my new born daughter this morning, this "living hope" reminds and assures us that redemption is well on its way and the serpent seeking to distract us will be destroyed!

Sean FeuchtFounder, Burn 24/7Email: info@theburn247.com

Sean and Kate Feucht are the founders of Burn 24-7—powerful, prolonged experiences of worshiping the Father and intercession for the nations. Their undying vision is to ignite and establish places of continual worship and prayer that will affect the spiritual atmospheres, climates and cultures of cities and regions for the Kingdom of God. Sean has released five prophetic worship albums and travels around the nation leading worship and speaking at conferences, camps, services and BURN 24-7 furnaces.

"Where Are They?" In My Vision: The Woman Who had just Died... Opened Her Eyes Wide, Gasped in Air and was Brought Back to Life

Luke Holter
Prophetic Sheep Ministries
Email: propheticsheep@yahoo.com

There is a Great End-Time Visitation Coming - It is Almost Upon Us

Prophetic word of the Lord given by Dr. Mark Chironna on Sunday, January 25, 2009:

When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Shows Up

When the anointing is on you, sacrifice is no big deal. When you understand the anointing, you can bring closure to a chapter in your life that's remained open for too long. When you understand the anointing and you operate in the anointing, it's not a problem to distribute your resources. And when you understand the worth of the anointing, it's not hard to follow after it and pursue it with all your heart.

God Almighty is preparing a generation for a rich legacy that is about to be passed – we are at the end of a five hundred year period. What is about to come on the Body of Christ will rival what took place in the Great Reformation. God has been restoring for the last two thousand years, well the last thousand years, to the Church what has been lost. You are the sons of the prophets. You are the seed of Abraham. Every blessing in the covenant to possess Heaven and Earth, to move in dominion, to move in increase, to move in the fullness of the Spirit – is yours.

"Holy Spirit of God, Holy Spirit of God, come right now – overshadow." Here it comes. Just let it blanket you. Just let it soak you. Position yourself. Align yourself for that greater anointing. The fullness of the Spirit, the fullness of Him who fills all in all; the anointing that breaks the yoke, not just in the meeting place but it will break the yoke in your home. It will break the yoke on your job. It will remove the curse from your destiny and from your career, from your vocation. It will remove the yoke from relationships that are draining you. It will bring deliverance.

You are an heir. You are an heir of God. You are a joint heir with Christ. That double portion, that promise of the Father, the greatness of the call, the power of resurrection – we are about to embark on a season in which there will be such great difference between the light and the dark that you will be able to know, "These are the people that walk with God."

There is a great end-time visitation coming; it is almost upon us. I can hear the sound of an abundance of rain. God Almighty is grooming a company to move in power and practicality to reach the culture and to bring increase and expansion – the provision of God, more sufficient than any natural provision could ever be; the blessing of the Lord that makes rich and adds no sorrow.

"I Am Looking for Those Who are Young in Spirit"

"For these are days," saith God, "when I am stirring up the spirit of another generation and it matters not their age; it matters the age of their spirit. For there are many who are old but young in their spirit and there are many who are young but they have become old in their spirit. I am looking for those who are young in spirit, for there is a new generation that is about to cross a line and cross a threshold and operate in a dimension.

"They will go with Me on a journey to discover earmarks that are in the Spirit – places of lodging, places of power, places of deliverance, places of blessing. For in the heavenly realms, I have stored up treasures that when they go in, they will bind the strongman and reclaim the goods that he took from My people over these past generations.

"There is coming a great shift. It is going to come globally on the Body of Christ and there is going to arise a company of people that will be delivered from their past and rescued for their future and they will operate in a double portion anointing that will stagger the minds of the unregenerate and they will walk in the wisdom and in the understanding and the knowledge of the Most High God.

"And every place they go, they will transform the environment. They will bring blessing and they will leave blessing behind them. They will cause dark places to become light. They will cause brown places and barren places to become well-watered like a garden. They will cause broken places to be healed. They will cause sick places to be made well.

"For they are the people of Jehovah and their vindication is from God. For there is coming a great vindication because of the great warfare. From the great warfare, there is coming great vindication and great blessing.

"Rejoice, for your hour is coming and is now upon you when you will begin to see the goodness of God in the land of the living," saith the Lord.

Dr. Mark J. Chironna
Mark Chironna Ministries
Email: markchironna@markchironna.com

Warriors of Truth are Being Sent to Penetrate the Lies of Darkness

Introduction: This word is not specific to the Pacific Northwest, but many northwest prophets are seeing and experiencing similar things. Victoria declares it extremely well.

In prayer I was shown a vision. In it I saw misguided people who were the enemies of Truth rallying together to deceive the saints; they were being guided by demonic forces who used them like toys. Great effort was being made by the realms of darkness to bring confusion and stir up strife among the brethren, to break up friendships that gave strength and encouragement to the saints. I saw the enemies of Truth entering the lives of those who have been wounded by rejection and held in bondage by fear. They spoke demonically-induced lies with great power to deceive them in their weakened condition.

Victoria Boyson

Ironically, the lies of darkness actually seemed like "real truth" to them and the enemies of Truth seemed like great saints. They appeared as though they were God's answer for the loneliness and pain they were feeling, so they opened their hearts to them. Because they came into agreement with the lies and their love grew painfully cold, they began to attack their brothers and sisters in Christ with accusation and judgment. Consequently, their attacks unleashed powers of destruction on the Church.

Just when it seemed the saints would falter under the heavy assault, I saw the great warriors of Heaven rally their armies in preparation to invade earth and dispel the enemies of Truth. They only waited for the command to do so from the saints—for their cry for help. Under the weight of accusation, the saints began to weep. Their tears unleashed the army of Heaven to attack the realms of darkness.

The Judgments of the Lord

It was then I saw a heavenly warrior filled with great power, radiating a glorious light, entering the home of my enemy. This man had been used by the realms of darkness to rain down curses on my head; he was very jealous and filled with hatred toward me. However, even though I knew his dislike for me was great, I feared for him because the power of the heavenly warrior was great. I saw the warrior stand before him and draw its sword, which was enormous and gave off a great light.

I wondered at the sight of what was about to occur and thought, "Can it be God's will to destroy my enemy?"

I heard the warrior speak an answer to the question of my heart and say, "I have been given authority to execute the judgments of the Lord."

Then the warrior, standing over my enemy, raised the sword and thrust it into his heart. It was difficult for me to watch, because I truly loved my enemy and had prayed for him for a long time. I did not want to see him destroyed. Indeed, I had wept and prayed that he would completely surrender his life to the Lord and not allow the enemy to use him any longer.

The warrior knew the thoughts of my heart and spoke again to me saying,"This sword is the sword of Truth, and will dispel the lies of darkness that have taken over his heart."

Then I looked at the sword and saw that, in its radiance, it seemed to be alive and was pulsating. As its large blade rested in my enemy's heart, the Light it held began to fill his body; like melting gold, the Light seeped into his chest. At first, he lay motionless as if the sword had no affect on him, but then I saw his face cringe as if in pain and I sensed brokenness enter his heart. Sorrow was invading his soul as the truth of his actions was shown to him. The spirit of repentance was dispelling the demonic lies, and darkness was fleeing from him as tears ran down his face.

I looked again to watch the heavenly warrior who had come to execute the judgments of the Lord on my enemy. He watched with determined anticipation as the sword did its work on the man. Turning to me, the warrior told me, "Your love for this man made this possible for him. I came to him only because you chose to love him in spite of his attacks against you and your family. You chose to love him, and because your Father loves you, He was compelled to touch the man for your sake."

I was shocked! I wept at the words the warrior spoke because I knew that it was only because of my love for Christ that I loved my enemy.

Treasure the Lord Longs to Uncover

In myself, I wanted to hate him. Indeed, I wanted him to suffer as he had made me suffer. My first thoughts at the onslaught of his attacks against me were to call upon God to execute vengeance against the man. But I saw that the longer I clung to thoughts of judgment toward him, the more distant Christ became to me.

It was only because of my desperate need and love for Christ that I forced myself to pray for him. I asked God to give me love for him, because I simply had none of my own. I had no desire to forgive, but I asked God to give me that as well. And when He had changed my heart, I could honestly say, "I love him," and mean it.

It scared me to remember how easy it would have been for me to condemn the man and how close I came to doing it. It was truly only because Christ loved me that I felt the need to love this man.

Could that one small decision to love and forgive him have brought about his redemption and activated the armies of Heaven to fight for him? I was astonished to think that his deliverance at this moment came only because of that one small choice I made to stand with Christ.

Now, I stand in awe as I see the transformation of someone I thought was unredeemable. I had, in the past, desperately pleaded with God to remove him from my life, so he would no longer have the power to hurt me. I couldn't understand why He wouldn't do it. It was, however, because He wanted to use me to change this man's life, and in the process of helping him, my own heart was transformed as well.

Yes, his redemption has truly changed us both. My earthly enemy was not my enemy after all; he was the treasure that the Lord had longed to uncover, if only I were willing to help him.

Liberating the Lost

Now I see the warriors of Truth have invaded other lives across the earth as the hearts of the saints have cried out for the souls of men. They are liberating the lost from the darkness that bound them as the saints of Christ cling to the Cross of love and hold it high above them in a defiant reply to the attacks of the accuser of the brethren.

The treasured friendships among the saints that seemed hopelessly broken are being miraculously restored, and they have received a greater level of appreciation for one another. The cold love that had tried to force them to fear one another has been flung aside and radical, self-less love has become their war cry!

Darkness had them bound, but the TRUTH Himself has set them free, and whom the SON sets free is free indeed!

Victoria Boyson, Speaking Life Ministries
Via the Elijah List

God is Releasing the Broken and Wounded to Fly in His Kingdom


Endorsement by Shawn Bolz:

Luke Holter is quickly becoming a clear voice for this generation. Luke's unique perspective is like a bright shining light illuminating with clarity. I love watching friends of God emerge and take their place in the Kingdom, and that is exactly what God is doing with my new friend, Luke. He has been hearing the Lord very clearly in this season and has had understanding to help people position their hearts and faith.

Shawn Bolz, Senior Pastor
Expression58 Ministries


God is Releasing the Broken and Wounded to Fly in His Kingdom

I have been speaking with lots of broken and hurting people as of which I think the Lord has been setting up. There are many hurting and wounded people, both in and out of the Church. I am at a place where I am saying

Lord help me give the tangible love that Jesus had. Give me some breath of fresh air for those who feel like they are not needed. I then realized that there is a major breakthrough coming on behalf of the poor in spirit!

I was in a worship session recently when a member of an apostolic team came forward and starting speaking in tongues, opening a place of freedom in worship. I was suddenly taken into a vision with the Holy Spirit, which broke me and gave me so much hope for the broken—to be free and empowered!

The Vision: A Broken Baby Bird

In the vision I was hidden in darkness; it was so dark that I could not see my hand in front of my face. I felt no fear in this darkness. I could hear a great heartbeat, and I could hear what sounded like giant lungs breathing in and out. In this darkness the wall on my right was expanding and contracting and I could feel it moving as if it were alive. A small doorway of light begins to shine and I see myself as a baby bird with a broken wing. I realize I am under a wing and the wing is beginning to open ever so slightly.

As my eyes adjust to the light I can see a glimpse into Heaven. I can see the "Seraphim", and they are covered in translucent blue flames while singing out, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!" I can see the golden floor that is shining like tiny pieces of the sun, and in the distance I view a sea of glass, motionless, yet fully alive and active! I look to the right and see another angel much larger than the Seraphim, and this angel was swinging a large golden rod with a bowl on the end of it. I was aware that this bowl was being filled with smoke and prayers; I knew that I was seeing part of Revelation 8:3-5:

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Out of fear I shrank back into the wing I was hiding in and the wing closed in, around me again. I was in a place of being hidden as a baby bird with a broken wing. I knew that I was in the wing of God and I thought of a section of Matthew 23:37, "…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

"I Am Releasing the Broken to Fly"

When I was in this wing the Holy Spirit came up beside me and said, "You can't stay in this place because it's time to fly. You must not stay in here and struggle with the same broken wing." At that moment I could hear God's voice speak from outside the wing and say, "You can't stay in immaturity because you are hurt; you must come forth." At that moment the wing opened again and the Holy Spirit came up beside me and said, "You must know that I am releasing the broken to fly. All who are broken are going to take flight and soar high. All who have been left behind in their wounds and pain will be released by GOD!"

I began to fly out from under the wing of God and I started seeing again the landscape of Heaven. God showed me that He is releasing a special time and season for the Matthew 5:3 people: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

When I was flying I knew that I wasn't just being released into the Kingdom of Heaven, but I was being released back into the Kingdom on Earth! As I was feeling the warm wind of Heaven blowing on my face, I looked down and saw that I wasn't flying alone but had the help of an eagle. I asked the Holy Spirit, "Why is this eagle helping me fly?" He said, "Your wounded season was your Egypt and I am carrying you out of Egypt on eagles' wings." We get to learn to fly from the Father, and when we say Yes to moving out of our pain and wounded history, God carries us higher and higher.

There is now coming a time when those who have been broken and wounded are coming up and being released into supernatural things, as well as being released back into the Church with great acceleration, love and compassion!

"Those who have been broken and poor in spirit have the character I am looking for," says the Lord! They have no delusions about who their Provider is. They look up to the mountains and they know where their help comes from!

Luke Holter


Prophetic Sheep Ministries


Email: propheticsheep@yahoo.com


Luke Holter has just signed a three book deal with Destiny Image Publishing and his first book "A Beautiful Kind of Broken" will be available in June 2010. The book is about overcoming abuse and rejection through the power of relationship and forgiveness.