A prophetic word received 7-10-03
Mark Acuna
Mark Acuna
Scripture reference: 1 Sam. Ch 1-4
The days of Eli are passing and the light of heaven has already begun to shine on the days of a Samuel & David generation.
Some prophets will weep, for the old order is passing away to make room for a new day birthed in the heart of God. The Spirit of Samuel has been birthed in the Hannah – like travail of intercession. This travail has been misunderstood by some but the result is the birthing of a new generation – so young, yet born with ears to hear the voice of God.
The Samuel anointing brings correction & balance to the church. Eli’s sons have ruled long enough. What was hidden in darkness will be brought to light and there will be no hiding from the spirit of God.
The order of Eli will fall backward as the righteousness of God leaps forward.
The neck of Eli will be broken – The Lord will sever the power of the rule of the intellect in favor of the rule of the heart within His Church.
The Samuels are ready. They were nurtured in the Holy Place of God’s presence. They have walked side by side with Eli, but they are not of the spirit of Eli. The Spirit of Samuel will arise within the hearts of many and they will govern in the power and authority of the Lord. The Samuel anointing will mature to become a father’s anointing and it will bring healing to the land.
*The “Spirit of Samuel” is a Holy Spirit anointing after the order of Samuel
A Note from Mark Acuna, February 2009
When the Lord first spoke this word to my heart, I felt as if we were in the beginning stages of the release of a Samuel generation. In the first chapters of First Samuel, Hannah, whose name means favored (from the Hebrew root: to implore), is a picture of the today’s intercessors. Like Hannah, our intercessors have been misunderstood and even rebuked in their prayers (“Eli thought she was drunk 1:14). But through perseverance and in spite of mocking (1:7) the intercessors have birthed a new generation with a pure heart that follows after God. And just like Hannah brought a robe for Samuel year after year (2:19), today’s intercessors have been covering a generation with prayers and watching them grow.
Samuel grew up in the House of the Lord under the supervision of Eli the High Priest. Although, Samuel grew under Eli, he is not of the spirit of Eli. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, whom the Bible calls “sons of Belial” (2:12). They were evil beyond description and filled with greed and lust. They corrupted God’s holy priesthood and treated the holy things of God with contempt. Eli was too weak of backbone to stop his son’s sinful ways and God sent a prophet to ask him, “Why do you honor your sons more than me?” (2:29)
Eli and his sons are a picture of the modern American church. Just as Eli was fat and weak and dim of vision (3:2) In the same way we have fattened ourselves with the blessings of God, using what was meant to bless others for ourselves. Meanwhile, the widow, the orphan and the poor are forgotten. Enriched by our greed we have lost humility and have become proud – to proud to listen to God or to follow Him. We favor our own human wisdom and intellect and justify our sins. The name Hopni comes from the Hebrew word for “fists,” and the name Phinehas comes from the root words “hiss of a serpent.” This describes well the quarrelling, bickering, gossiping, whispering, and malice seen within the church walls. And to our shame, the secret sins of the church are now broadcast on the evening news and on the covers of the newspapers. How many church congregations have been split and crippled by scandal.
But God says, “The sons of Eli have ruled long enough!!!”
Through the mouth of two prophets, including Samuel, God spoke judgment upon the house of Eli. And on the same day, the Ark of God was lost, the sons of Eli were slain, and Eli himself when he heard the news fell backward, (4:18) broke his neck, and died. The way Eli died, paints a picture for us of what the heart of God is in our day. God wants nothing of the spirit of Eli and his sons to be passed to the next generation. The old order has fallen backward (it will not be carried forward). The neck is the division between the head and the heart. God is severing the “head” that has ruled His church for too long in favor of the ‘heart”. The head symbolizes the intellect of man, our human wisdom, man’s plans, and man’s ways and traditions. The heart symbolizes relationship with God, intimacy with Abba Father, and one who’s own heart responds to the heart of God.
The Lord said, “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.” (2:35)
God chose Samuel. The Bible says, “Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.” (2:21) He grew up beside Eli, but he had a different heart and spirit. In our day God is raising up a generation who’s heart yearns for the true presence of God; a generation with ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. God has called a generation of young men and women who hate sin and hypocrisy and who want to follow God with passion and obedience.
God is not passing the baton of the old order to this Samuel generation. What God is doing today in this generation is birthed from His heart and will be a marked contrast to “business as usual” Christianity. Many in the church will mourn the passing of Eli, and will even try to resurrect the old ways, for that is all they have ever known. For a season Eli and Samuel will dwell in the same house side by side. But soon Samuel will emerge to his calling. When this Samuel anointing has matured, it will bring the Father’s heart and healing to the church and to the land. The widow, the orphan, and the poor will no longer be forgotten.
Today, I feel we are farther along in the release of the Samuel generation than we were 5 years ago when this prophetic word was first given. Today, the picture I get in my heart is a picture of Samuel standing in a doorway with one foot on the threshold and hands on both lintels of the door. Samuel is looking to the horizon and a new day is dawning. Soon he will step out of the house of Eli and walk forward to his destiny as a prophetic generation. God will be the guide of this generation, but they will need godly mentors. They are throwing off the robe of Hannah they have now outgrown, to replace it with a mantle of anointing from God. This mantle still fits too big on their shoulders, the Samuels will need mentors, godly men & women who know the heart of God. These mentors will need to lay aside the traditions and methods of the old order. We must not mold this new generation after ourselves! Instead, we are to come beside them to encourage and support. We will ask, “What are you hearing from God?” And our response to the answer will always be the same: Say to the Lord, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
On the day the Samuels go forth, the praying Hannah’s will say as Hannah of old: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies for I delight in your deliverance…those who were hungry, hunger no more…He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.” (2:1-10)
Keep praying for the Samuels. And if one happens to cross your path, come beside him or her to mentor and encourage as Barnabas mentored Paul. Send the Samuels out with prayer and financial support and whey they return, bind up their wounds, love them, and send them out again.
Mark Acuna – The Apostolic Network of the West, Astoria, Oregon
Comment: several of us feel that this is an accurate word for the region for now: we're walking in this now.
The Spirit of Samuel* is coming upon the prophets of the land. This Samuel anointing comes from heaven now at a time of transition and change.
