I heard the call in the wee hours of the night, “come up here to My holy mountain.” I knew immediately what this call meant for I have heard it before. This time it would be different for the Lord had given me the travel agency several years before in a dream. I made the announcement to the leadership in my Church and to my sister. Plans were made and I was given a promise from the Lord that we would all travel to Israel many months before we would leave.
The time of departure came and there were eight people in our entourage that traveled to Israel; one apostle, four prophets, two elders and the husband of one of the prophets. We landed in Israel and arrived at our hotel in Tel-Aviv on the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean Sea. We all needed to eat and made plans to find a nearby restaurant. Since my sis and I had come off a total fast, we were anxious to find a restaurant since we didn’t know how early the eating places closed, so we ventured out to find some vittles. My sis had been given a name of an eating place that was a good little walk from our hotel, so we took a cab. After a wonderful meal, we took a cab back to our hotel but, the Lord impressed on me not to go inside the hotel, but rather to go and stand on the rocky shores of the Mediterranean Sea to pray and decree over that city and to release a word into the atmosphere. I went as I was being lead to go by the Holy Spirit and the two prophets followed me. As we prayed and I began to decree, the waters began to change in the intensity of the waves. We placed our feet on a high rock and declared it for the Lord, for it became the rock on which the kingdom would be released in that area by an apostle and two prophets. Our job was finished there and our group left the area the very next day, as we joined up with the tour group. We were obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit for I knew beforehand that I needed to be extremely sensitive to the prompting and move of the Holy Spirit and needed to be able to move when He said to move. One prophet said that God told her to stay close to me and she did. We were obedient and God was pleased.
We moved to five hotels during our journey in Israel and whenever I sensed the prompting of the Holy Spirit to pray over an area, the same two prophetesses were normally next to me. I listened and moved when I sensed His prompting. From Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Megiddo, Muhraqa (Mt. Carmel), Haifa, Tiberius, Acre, Cana, Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Dead Sea (I was lead to pray and Sherry joined me, to bless two Christian women from Angola, Africa in the Dead Sea), Masada, Bethlehem, the Emmaus Road, Jaffa (a quick declaration with another prophet who was near me) and back to Tel Aviv. We made a total square around most of Israel (with the exception of Masada and the Dead Sea, which was a loop) and then the Lord reminded me of the Word He spoke to the Prophet Zechariah; “I will be a fire around Jerusalem and the glory within her midst.” Zech 2:5. He sent Fire and Glory to intercession and declaration.
I want to mention the women from Angola, Africa. I first encountered one woman when we were in the Church of the Nativity, the place where Jesus was born in Bethlehem, on the West Bank. I began to feel lightheaded as we waited in the huge church to go downstairs to see Christ’s birthplace. There were pilgrims from all over the world to see His birthplace and the place was dimly lit and hot, because there was no air conditioning. There were no chairs that I could see and with people packed into this church like sardines and pushing, I got extremely nauseated. The sister from Angola motioned me to sit on the floor next to her and I did. She tried to communicate with me as we sat, but I could only understand a few words from my mission trip to Brazil some years earlier. I knew she was a born-again believer (try the spirit by the spirit) and she began praying for me; I could feel a calmness come over me. Prophetess Sherry told the tour director that I was feeling ill and he motioned for me to follow him to a place that was away from the crowds and be able to sit. He eventually had me sit inside the sanctuary while the rest of my group toured the area. I had the opportunity on my first trip to Israel, when Americans didn’t travel to the West Bank, to see where My Savior was born.
We kept running into this woman from the country of Angola and the fourth time I saw her was at the Dead Sea with three other of her companions. The women spoke Portuguese, but Joyce speaks Spanish and if you can understand Spanish, then you can understand enough Portuguese to communicate. These women were singing worship songs in the extremely salty waters of the Dead Sea and I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to move close to them. We began to sing in English the same songs they were singing in Portuguese. Now, let me say this; I really felt like a fool, because the people were looking at all five of us women of color, floating in shallow waters singing worship songs to the Lord. I know that was a strange sight; but again, I began to feel the Lord’s prompting to move close and speak a blessing over two of the women. I asked the prophetess to assist me in praying for them and she did. The women were so blessed and again, I was obedient to the move of the Holy Spirit. These women unashamedly gave God glory, not caring what anyone else thought about them. They were with a larger group, but God had separated them from the group for a blessing. I told my sis that I won’t see them again, because God wanted me to bless them and I had completed the purpose for the connection. It reminded me of years ago, the prison ministry I was under had a guest speaker from Brazil. The guest speaker was an Apostle from Brazil and he gave his entire sermon in Portuguese, which no one understood, but afterwards, my friend and I was standing by a car in the parking lot and this apostle came up to me with two prophetess and blessed me and then her. I didn’t understand a word he said, but my spirit bore witness that it was a blessing. God used me to do the same for these two women, who were with a larger group, but out of the group, they were divinely separated by God for a blessing.
Obedience is better than sacrifice. Oftentimes, well meaning people try to do what God has anointed another man or woman to do, thinking that God will accept their sacrifice. Cain learned this the hard way. He made a sacrifice, but it was not accepted because God was specific in what He wanted. God is very specific in His instructions to man. If He calls one to perform a task and set others in place to assist, then all key players should be in place to receive from the Lord. Those who are obedient will receive the blessings from Him. We must be very sensitive to what the will of the Lord is for our lives. So many are missing God’s best, because they can’t hear or sense His promptings. Just because He doesn’t slay us doesn’t mean He is pleased with our actions. We must make sure we are not doing our own thing apart from what God is doing. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end there of leads to death, writes the psalmist.
The day our group left Israel, the Israeli soldier who had been held and every promise of release had failed during his five year period of incarceration, was finally released with the promise of Israel releasing over a 1,000 Palestinian inmates. One Jewish life for over a thousand lives. Well, Israel is rejoicing as their son returns home as will every Palestinian family rejoice as their sons return home. We covered with prayer the specific borders around Israel that God has called us to speak a word over declare the move of the Holy Spirit over that region and release of the kingdom. We prayed for the peace of Israel for God blesses those who bless Israel.
We were there during Sukkot; the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the High Holy Days when Jews from all over the earth come and celebrate. There were Jews wearing the dress of their nation, carrying palm branches and meeting in temporary shelters. Sukkot is a happy time for the Jews and I was happy for all of them. Some were friendly and some were not but, it is what it is. There was a synagogue in our hotel and the children played with joy. We felt safe walking down the streets of Jerusalem and our group of eight from Fire and Glory, was blessed as we toured the sites where Jesus walked, did miracles, signs and wonders.
My group love America, really, we simply love our country and are glad to be home, God bless America, but we knew we were home when we listened to the news on the television at the airport that reported crime after crime. I am convinced that prayers for our own country need to be increased. I began to feel the spirit of oppression that we live under daily. Back in Israel, we had dinner with our Jewish tour guide who told us that the other nations were jealous of America because of our blessed lives. America was blessed to be a blessing, but we are no longer a blessed nation because of disobedience and rebellion. This rebellion is not only in the government, families and schools, but also in the Church. Everyone does what seems right in their own eyes. Leadership is criticized and disrespected in every social area, including the church. God is not pleased with this. The spirit of rebellion has been released in the land…the spirit of disobedience has been released and few are recognizing it. There will be prophets who will say, I had a dream from the Lord or God said, but God does not deal in confusion or rebellion.
Fall on your knees disobedient America; fall on your knees disobedient Church, repent and receive the blessings of the Lord to walk in His shalom; His peace, which is nothing missing; nothing broken.
Here is a promise from the Lord to those He loves and who love Him.
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together, state your case, that you may be acquitted. Isaiah 43:25-28
How beautiful are the Words of our Lord, for He promises that He will not remember our sins. He promises to acquit. Hallelujah!
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