2020: A YEAR OF ROARING JUSTICE AND RAGING HOPE

“The mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment…THE HEAVENS WILL EXPOSE HIS GUILT; the earth will rise up against him.” Job 20:5, 27

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may OVERFLOW WITH HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

I have been in much earnest prayer for the beginning of the year word for 2020. There is much going on, and it becomes a personal challenge to only report what God says to report on. It has always been most important to receive reporting directives from the Lord as His truth often omits seemingly important realities. The 10 spies thought it important to report on the astronomical challenges they assumed the giants in the land would present to the children of Israel. Caleb thought it best to report only on the “milk and honey” of Canaan, totally minimizing the giants in the land, except to say of them, “they will be bread for us.” Forty years later he was proven to be right—the oversized enemies, though theoretically daunting, ended up being just a forgettable “snack.” The God-ordained circumcision Israel had to experience after crossing the Jordan River ended up being a much more significant event than the totality of resistance of all the giants.

Today, we have a similar scenario. We are close enough to a present Promised Land to see the actual size and layout of the enemy. We comparatively are “as grasshoppers” to what is straight ahead in our paths. If we get into comparing "us versus them” then all courage will depart. However, when you (as Caleb did) compare the enemy versus our God, the enemy so pales in comparison that he is dismissible. “The Swamp”, "the Deep State”, the Soros "Open Society" agenda, the Illuminati, the Freemasons, the Bilderburgs, The CFR, the organized sex traffickers, etc. etc. are altogether a laughable resistance—when compared to our God, I mean truly laughable (Psalms 2:4). These all presently occupy the Promised Land of the tops of the 7 Mountains—Media, Economy, Government, Education, Family, Arts and Entertainment, and Religion. We will not enter “Promised Land” territory by studying and trying to dismantle the evil occupiers. We will enter the "Promised Land" of the 7 Mountains of cities and nations by studying and “mantling” ourselves with who God is in each Mountain. The difference between the two approaches is enormous and the absolute “game-changer.”

2020 CORRECTIVE LENSES: GOD IN THE EQUATION

The reason 2010-2020 has been a decade with an emphasis on SEEING is because that is the entire key to victory. Battles are won and lost at the point of observance—not at the point of engagement. Caleb saw God as supreme and the giants as “bread for us.” Once you SEE God in the equation the enemy ALWAYS seems smaller. David’s initial observance of Goliath was a belittling, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine?” Why? Because “he had defied the armies of the living God.” Being able to see the juxtaposition fueled his easy anti-climatic beheading of Goliath. David’s biggest challenge of the day was not Goliath—that was his "piece of cake" assignment. David’s biggest challenge of the day was, in fact, the attempted shut down by an envious older brother who called for David to go back to watching his “few little sheep” (1 Sam. 17: 28). Similarly today the 7 Mountain Reformation message is under assault by the “older brothers” (old wineskins/denominations) who want to chase us all back to just watching our “few little sheep”—even as they give up more time and more territory to the Goliath criminals on each of the 7 Mountains or Spheres. Some have said that David is Jesus and we win when HE returns. Jesus has said WE are David and we win when WE RISE UP in HIS strength. “The God of Peace will crush Satan under OUR feet” Romans 16:20. Yes, it is God who does it—but it is “Christ IN US” that is the hope of glory. Yes, God provides all the meaningful power, but He does it when WE engage with Him. God did provide the power for Goliath to be killed—but it was David’s ability to see Him that activated God. God had the power the previous 40 days of Goliath’s siege but was NOT going to intervene until someone could first SEE that and then be moved by this SEEING of God in an exalted place of power. It is NOT, “God helps those who help themselves,” but “God helps those who properly see Him and thus bring Him into their fight.” 

SEE THE TWO DITCHES

We have two ditches to avoid. On one side of the road is the ditch of “in the millennium—one day God—after the rapture,” perspective. That is a disempowering ditch that is the "old guard’s" territory-ceding narrative. David’s older brother Eliab was never going to be a part of anything other than fearful survivorship. His kingdom footprint was always going to be small. The ditch on the other side of the road is self-determinism and self-empowerment. It says, “God is not going to do anything and so WE had better unite and do what needs to be done because that is how God does things.” This is just as dangerous of a ditch and it is delusional "self- empowerment.” Many proponents of 7 Mountains perspectives tend towards this approach as the cure to the other ditch—but it is just another ditch. Neither Caleb nor David was mighty because they sufficiently believed in themselves, or even in Israel’s ability to unite and defeat the enemy. Their gifting was in SEEING GOD and His accompanying story-line—not in their Type A, self-deterministic personality, which tends towards orphan-like thinking, where you are relying totally on yourself. When you are SEEING properly (20/20 vision) everyone is in perspective—you, the enemy, and God. YOU have participation. The enemy is the least important detail, but his comparative size TO US is designed to shock us out of “self-help” into a search for God. The God-view is the most important. He is neither absent nor totally accomplishing everything without you. He fights your battles, but responsive obedience that shows you see Him is required. Without Him you can do nothing. With Him all things are possible.

2 CHRONICLES 20:20

“…Believe in the Lord God and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”

It is not coincidental that this passage is 20:20 and it is to be of special attention in 2020. In this chapter, multiple armies have come up against King Jehoshaphat and the people, and this has terrified him. In an almost apocalyptic statement, he is told by messengers, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea.” Jehoshaphat follows the first advice of 20:20 and cries out to God, having the people joining him with prayer and unity. Of course, the reason to turn to God with fasting and prayer is so you can SEE Him. Appropriately, a SEEING prophet stands and gives the word that Jehoshaphat refers to in 20:20.

JAHAZIEL: “To see God or His Perspective”

In verse 13 of this chapter, it is the prophet Jahaziel that stands and gives the word that will allow them to not only stand defensively, but to offensively succeed. The first part of his name comes from a root word that means, “to see (as a seer in an ecstatic state) with intelligence.” The second part of his name means, “God" or “God-like." The key to every big victory is here. His words in 2 Chr. 20:15 were, “Listen!... this is what the Lord says, DO NOT BE AFRAID! DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY THIS MIGHTY ARMY, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GODS. TOMORROW MARCH OUT AGAINST THEM…” The nuance here has to be picked up. “The battle is the Lord’s,” but, “tomorrow march out against them.” They were not to fall in the ditch of, “God is going to do it all.” However, the next instructions made it clear this was not “war as usual”, nor were they to head to the orphan ditch of, “if we don’t do it it won’t get done.” They were to “take your positions” ON THE BATTLEFIELD, but then, “stand firm and see the deliverance of God.” Jehoshaphat, in order to properly position the people’s mindset, then sent praisers and singers ahead of the army so that their awareness of dependence on God would remain uppermost in their minds, even while they were participating on the battlefield. 

The wisdom for 7 Mountain deployment is immense from this story. We have to engage on the battlefield for every mountain—because the enemy has raised a huge army to come take us out. This battle cannot be won by good church meetings. Praise and worship were key but were to be done from the battlefield position. It is one thing to praise the greatness of God in the confines of a church meeting. It is another to praise the supremacy of God while actively standing against the enemy on the battlefields of media, government, education, the economy, family, arts, as well as religion. It takes more nerve to do the latter and that is now what the Lord is requiring of us in 2020. Quit being overly excited about big events that happen away from the battlefield where the enemy has gathered. Any stadium event that is not connected to, at minimum, inspiring us for 7 Mountains participation is just so much less than it could be and destined to be forgettable. It does not take courage to feel like the majority. It takes courage to be up against a great majority. 

ROARING JUSTICE AND RAGING HOPE

Since this was the title of this word it is time to expound. JUSTICE continues as a major theme, as it has been the last few years, but it now gets to the next level of progressive intensity. The theme of justice will roar in our nation and then around the world as our God’s heart for the used and abused is made evident before all. Justice is not the opposite of mercy, but rather justice is God’s mercy on the abused and downtrodden. It is when a line is drawn in the sand against evildoers where there is no more mercy for them apart from wholesale repentance. The execution of this kind of public justice causes hope to ignite and rage against all doubt, unbelief and limited thinking. Raging hope will burn up disappointment and delay, and it will secure a heart in a big, good, and present God.

Job 20 is very relevant for 2020. At the beginning of this word I already mentioned verses 5 and 27. What I will now say I release as a prophetic word over all those who represent “the swamp” of this, and even every nation. This is next in 2020.

“Though the pride of the wicked reaches to the heavens and their heads touch the clouds, yet they will vanish forever, thrown away like their own dung. They will fade like a dream and not be found. They will vanish like a vision in the night... His children must make amends to the poor. His own hands must give back his wealth…He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up…What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading. For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute…he cannot save himself by his treasure…his prosperity will not endure. In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him, THE FULL FORCE OF MISERY WILL COME UPON HIM…GOD WILL VENT HIS BURNING ANGER AGAINST HIM AND RAIN DOWN HIS BLOWS UPON HIM. THE HEAVENS WILL EXPOSE HIS GUILT AND THE EARTH WILL RISE UP AGAINST HIM.” Job 20: (from 6-27)

In 2020 another line in the sand will be drawn against organized darkness in the 7 Mountains of society. When this kind of deep justice takes place, the effect among the people is to release abundant, raging hope. A working definition for real hope is “the expectation of good from God in every area.” Seeing deep darkness come to justice promotes a growing, hope-filled expectation for life in general. It confirms that there is a right and wrong and it confirms that God looks out for the abused and downtrodden. It confirms specifically that God cares enough, is involved enough, and is big enough to address what is too big for us. IN 2020 LET JUSTICE ROAR AND LET HOPE RAGE OUT OF CONTROL.

(A PART TWO TO THIS WILL BE COMING. THE ELECTION, ISRAEL AND THE STOCK MARKET WILL BE COVERED)