RELEASING THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION!

For over ten years, every day of my life, I have prayed the Word of God as found in Ephesians 1:15 -19, and I have prayed it in various versions over my life. I began to do what I would later call "Pray-Read" which is to pray the Word over my life and the lives of others.

As I learned to let the Word of God dwell richly within my heart, I would simply pray from the overflow of the Word stored up within me. Ephesians 1:15-19 contains the request to give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Apostle Paul wrote this for the Believers in Ephesus and yet is a great model for us yet today! It has become the "bread and butter" of who I am today and who I want every Believer around the world to become. So let's "Pray-Read" the following verses together.

"For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe."

Remember that you can Pray-Read any Scripture that is revealed to your heart, but for this week we want to focus on this passage...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I also encourage you to Pray-Read this Scripture over many other people that you know. Here is a partial list below to help you in your prayer time this week:

Let's Pray-Read the Word of God over: our own lives, families, churches, the ministries in which we participate, and our neighborhoods and cities!

Awesome! Can you imagine – united prayer this week around the world for the spirit of wisdom and revelation being released? I can! When we do this together, we will experience an increase of prophetic revelation upon our lives and our extended spheres of influence. Below is a teaching outline for your study for receiving revelation.

GOD'S DESIRE IS THAT WE BE A PEOPLE OF REVELATION

God Wants the Lamp of Revelation Lit!

The Holy Spirit wants the candle of His presence to burn brightly within the life of each Believer. Let's trim the lamp of God's presence in the temple of God so that visions will be frequent once again.

1. I Samuel 3:1-3 - Samuel rested by the Ark of God's presence.

2. II Kings 6:17 - Elisha prayed that another would see.

3. John 16:13-15 - The Holy Spirit will illuminate truth.

4. Daniel 12:3 - The wise will shine brightly for the Lord.

Simply Ask!

1. Acts 2:17 - Dreams, visions and revelation are scriptural for you and for today!

2. Ask and receive according to James 4:2 and John 16:24.

3. Revelation comes in.

Answer to Prayer

1. I Kings 3:3-5 - After Solomon offered sacrifices to God, the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

2. Daniel 2:17-23 - Daniel requested that he might know the secret mysteries of the Lord.

Special Situations

1. Genesis 28:10-12 - A ladder of visitation came down to Jacob while in the vicinity of Haran.

2. Matthew 2:19 - After Herod's death, revelation was released to Joseph.

Response to Fasting

1. Daniel 9 and 10 - In responses to prayer, fasting and confession of sin, angelic encounters were sent to Daniel.

2. Matthew 5:3-8 - Humility is rewarded by the Kingdom of God.

Set Your Mind and Affections Above

1. Colossians 3:1-2 - Seek those things which are above.

2. Romans 8:5-9a - Sow things to the Spirit and you will reap things to the Spirit.

3. Romans 12:1-2 - As we renew our minds, the will of God will be revealed to us.

QUIETNESS: THE INCUBATION CRADLE FOR REVELATION

Scriptural Basis of the Necessity of Quietness

1. Isaiah 30:15 - "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.'"

2. Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

3. Psalm 131:1-3 - "My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore."

THINGS THAT WILL HINDER THE FLOW OF PURE REVELATION

Lifestyle of Carnality (see Isaiah 57:20-21)

1. Worry - Psalm 37:8.
2. Anger - Ephesians 4:26.
3. Lust - Romans 13:10-14.
4. Alcohol/Drugs/Addictions - Ephesians 5:18.
5. Bitterness - Hebrews 12:15.

Entertainment Issues (see Mark 4:24)

We must be careful what we listen to. What we let into our eyes and ears will be what our heart and mind will dwell on. Go on a TV/movie fast.

Inconsistent Schedules

This definitely can hinder the flow of revelation. At times this is not our fault - with our job demands and schedules etc. Cry out for God's grace and He will help you alter your schedule as needed.

TIPS ON REMEMBERING DREAMS

Working with Clocks

1. If possible, get rid of your loud alarm clock. Ask the Holy Spirit to wake you up. Establish a habit of getting up at a set time if possible.

2. Many dreams come between four to five a.m.

3. Instead of an alarm, wake up by using a clock/radio tuned to soothing music.

Recording Your Revelation

1. Keep a notepad and pen by the bed.

2. Consider using a small tape recorder.

3. Develop your dream alphabet by keeping track of symbols.

4. Make note of your feelings/emotions in the dream/revelation.

5. Ask, "What does this symbol mean to me? Can I find it in Scripture?"

6. Be still and try to recall one or two details and then your memory will kick in (Zechariah 4:2).

Get Counsel

Get wise counsel from gifted interpreters of dreams. Not everyone will have this capacity as developed as others. Even in Scripture, Daniel and Joseph are the only ones who were specifically mentioned having this gift.

KEYS TO TESTING REVELATION

Normally the Voice of the Lord Will Not Create Fear

The enemy can release oppression (Psalm 55:3), but God's way will release hope to us (Romans 15:4).

It Will Not Condemn

When you abide in Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). But the ministry of the Holy Spirit will bring strong, specific conviction of sin (John 16:8).

It Will Not Put You Down

The Lord is for us and when we call on His name, He comes to our aid (Psalm 55:12) and will edify and comfort you (I Corinthians 14:2).

Short Dreams Will Carry A Lot of Impact

At times, the short dreams you awaken out of are the most significant. Long dreams at times are a result of your active or even tired soul (Ecclesiastes 5:7).

It will be Backed Up by the Word

God does not contradict Himself. True revelation will not conflict God's word but complement and confirm (John 16:13; 17:17).

The Inner Witness of Your Spirit

The Holy Spirit will speak peace to your heart (Psalm 85:8; Colossians 3:15) and give you an inner witness (Romans 8:16).

PLUG IN AND RECEIVE

Ask and Believe (see Mark 11:24)

When we pray, believe that we receive! God wants you to receive freely!

Receive! (see Acts 3:3-5)

Now - release your faith toward God and expect to receive! Remember, God wants you to hear His voice and experience His revelatory ways even more than you want to!

James W. Goll
Encounters Network
Email: info@encountersnetwork.com

A Rendezvous of Prophetic Intercessors who are hearing from God about what he is doing and planning to do in the Cascadia region.

August 9-10, 2008
Troutdale, Oregon
Cost is FREE, but you must register to reserve your seat.

Purpose
Many of you reading this purpose statement have some history and relationships with key cities in the Northwest. May of us have been praying and contending for the Northwest for decades. In the last decade many of us have been meeting those who have the same heart. Your hosts, Darrell (Gresham), Dave (Southwest Washington) and Mark (Astoria) feel it's time we "rendezvoused" ...much as the pioneer explorers did early in our territories' history.

Rendezvous is the Anglicization of the French word Rendez-vous meaning "appointment". "Rendezvous" was the name used for the annual meeting of mountain men and fur buyers during the fur trade era, where trappers would exchange beaver skins for supplies and goods they wanted. These events occurred between the early 1820s and the 1840s.

We believe God is calling us to a diving appointment....where we freely exchange and encourage one another. We'll do this over two days, Sat, August 9 and Sunday, August 10, 2008. We are looking forward being able to gather with you as we seek the Lord!

This event is free, but you must register due to very limited space.

Cascadia Rendezvous of Prophetic Intercessors

Glenn Otto Park in Troutdale, OR.
1102 E Historic Columbia River Hwy. Troutdale, OR 97060
Cost is FREE, but you must register to reserve your seat.

The gathering would focus on three simple elements:

Worship
What do we HEAR God Saying?
What do we SEE God Doing?

This is not meant to be a "Y'all come" event. It is primarily for prophetic intercessors who are hearing from God about what he is doing and planning to do in our region.The gathering dates are: Aug. 9, & 10, 2008

Sat. 08-09-08 10AM-9PM (detailed breakout of time TBA)
Sun. 08-10-08 10AM-9PM (detailed breakout of time TBA)

Due to limited seating, we are requesting online registration. There is no cost, but a collection will be taken to defray the costs of the facility rental. No child care provided.

Your rendezvous hosts are:
Darrell Dahlman (Pacificministries)
David Bodine (Next Reformation Network)
Mark Acuna (Antiochhouse)

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Graham Cooke shares his passionate views about the purpose and role of New Testament prophets.

When you talk to Graham Cooke, you can sense he’s been hanging out with God. He’s at the same time down-to-earth and full of spiritual wisdom on everything from prayer to spiritual warfare to prophecy to intimacy with God. Cooke is well known for his prophetic training programs and has a passion to build prototype churches that can reach our postmodern society. God also uses him to help transition churches into higher levels of vision and ministry. Cooke is a building prophet. A British native, he is part of the pastoral ministry leadership team at The Mission in Vacaville, Calif. Cooke’s ministry, the Future Training Institute, sends resources to the poor around the world, and his books and

— Graham Cooke —

interactive journals, including “Approaching the Heart of Prophecy,” “Developing Your Prophetic Gifting” and “Permission Granted,” are helping to equip thousands of believers for the work of the ministry. The Voice magazine caught up with Cooke to talk about the state of the prophetic ministry today. The Voice: What should we be doing as prophets in this time? GRAHAM COOKE: Well, first of all there is a biblical link between apostles and prophets laying foundation in the church. The role of a New Testament prophet primarily is not to prophesy. It’s to teach people how to hear the voice of God themselves because Jesus said ‘My sheep know My voice.’ We actually need millions of Christians released to hear the voice of God for themselves. New Testament prophets therefore are essentially prophets of confirmation. They bring new words and so forth, but their role is to teach people how to hear the voice of God, to teach people how to live, find, discover, and live in the will of God and create a church as a prophetic community. In the process of all of that prophets teach people how to handle the different levels of prophecy, like edification, exhortation, comfort, words of revelation, words of warning and so on. Prophets should model how people should prophesy; they model who Jesus is. So we produce this prophetic community that really understands about grace, mercy and reconciliation. THE VOICE: I’m seeing a lot of curses and judgment being pronounced in prophetic circles. What’s your view on that? GRAHAM COOKE: John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus was the first of the New Testament. But John had to come and bow the knee, which is the Old Testament model bowing the knee to the New Testament model. So think of it this way: Do you think Jesus was punished enough for sin? Do you think the Father judged Jesus thoroughly? Did He spend every last ounce of anger and wrath on Christ on the cross? THE VOICE: Absolutely. GRAHAM COOKE: So then there’s no judgment left, no anger left, no punishment left. God is fully satisfied. Between Calvary, which was judgment on Christ, and the Judgment Day when all the books will be opened, there is no place for judgment in this world. What does judgment look like? We’re not judging humanity. We do sit in judgment on authority over the demonic. We cast out devils. But when it comes to a sin sick world, we are ambassadors of reconciliation. We’re saying a price has been paid. You cannot say on the one hand the price has been paid and be reconciled to God and then be judging people for their sin on the other hand. If all the judgment has been put on Christ, there is no judgment for us to enter into. It’s the goodness and kindness of God that brings people to repentance. We’re ambassadors of reconciliation and we have to move in the grace and mercy of Christ. When we look at a person who’s in sin we are assessing them not about their sin, we are assessing them in terms of Father. We are asking how much grace and mercy do we need to show to this person in order for them to be reconciled? THE VOICE: That’s beautiful. GRAHAM COOKE: As the Church we are stepping into the gap with Jesus and we are praying for mercy, not judgment. We want God to rain down mercy so the love that covers a multitude of sin can come into the community and people can see what God is really like and fall in love with Him. That’s our job and I think that’s a huge part of prophetic ministry in the earth. What if the biggest problem in America is the lack of goodness? The Bible says we overcome evil with good. What if the biggest problem in America right now is that the Church does not understand the true Gospel message? And it doesn’t understand the true nature of God. So she is not positioned to pull down favor from heaven because we’re in this other mindset, which is God is wrathful. And He’s not. He vented all of His anger on Jesus. THE VOICE: I’ve had people tell me I’m a fool for saying similar things. Do you get backlash for this stance? GRAHAM COOKE: Yes, it’s a good fight though. The fight is to move away from the whole religious mindset and to see ourselves as the beloved of God, that we have favor and God wants to push His favor through the Church to a hurting world. That’s the fight we’re in and that’s what we’re contending for in the prophetic. THE VOICE: Do you see a time coming when prophets are going to relate to the Lord differently? GRAHAM COOKE: Yeah...I do know a handful of prophetic people like myself who have been living this stuff for a long time now, but what I see right now is that the tide is turning. There are more and more prophetic people coming under this kind of influence and we’re actually cutting the ground away from the cowboy prophets who are just out there doing all the usual doom and gloom stuff. I’m still waiting for a bunch of prophets to apologize for the Y2K nonsense. Those guys they were so visible and made so much money and then suddenly its like they are denying they had that revelation. The numbers are starting to grow and there is a measure of accountability coming to the prophetic ministry. We need to get our act together and really look at whom and how are we disciplining and mentoring people. That’s the reason really why I’m rewriting “Developing Your Prophetic Gifting.” Whether or not I get killed, this is what I’m teaching. This is what I believe. This is what I want to be known for. THE VOICE: That religious spirit is a murderous spirit. GRAHAM COOKE: Have you ever seen that film “The Apostle”? It came out years ago and some guy was the star of it. He actually grew up in Pentecostal religion. In order to study for the role he attended loads of Pentecostal churches throughout the country. He brilliantly acted and did an astonishing job, but I hated the premise of the movie because it was just all the usual religious nonsense. The deceptions. I remember sitting in the cinema and hating it so much I wanted to climb on the screen and punch his lights out. I was so annoyed. In fact, I got up to leave and the Lord said to me, “Sit down. I want you to see this and I want you to come back tomorrow night and the following night because I want you to know. I want you to see your enemy. I want you to see the religious spirit because that’s what I’ve raised you up to fight.” Then I went back and took notes. I want to fight this thing so badly, I can taste it. I don’t want to fight it the way that it fights. I want to fight it by living in the opposite spirit. I don’t want to judge it because there’s no judgment. I want to say that there is a more excellent way and this is it. I want to move in the opposite spirit instead because you overcome evil with good. THE VOICE: Your words are so refreshing. Why don’t we see more watchmen prophets, more prophets to the nations who are really standing in the gap and making up a hedge? GRAHAM COOKE: I meet a lot of new people on the prophetic scene and I honestly believe that most of them won’t last the distance because they have no eternal rest, they have no place of inner peace or rest. Some of the guys who have been my mentors over the years, the first things they taught me were not about the prophetic. They taught me how to live with God. They taught me how to live from the inside out. One of them taught me that if you want longevity in the ministry you have to spend 80 percent of your anointing on God, in intimacy, in worship, in waiting on Him and in meditation. Now this is my 33rd year in the ministry and I spend four months of my year in meditation. I look at some of these people coming through and some of them are incredibly busy and they’re marked for ministry, but in the end I’m more about doing than being. I think that there’s no patience in them, all their prophetic stuff is about quick, quick, quick. I think, too, that there is a huge difference between blessing prophets and building prophets. Right now we have way too many blessing prophets and not enough building ones. All the blessing prophets, unless they have adequate training and mentoring, always root their prophetic ability in the Old Testament and not the New. So that’s something we need to correct. I’ll still say I’m excited, Jennifer; it’s a fight, it’s a good fight and it’s one that we’re going to win. THE VOICE: What would you say to young or unknown prophets to encourage them? GRAHAM COOKE: Find your tribe. Go through the Scriptures, go through the New Testament, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about what New Testament prophesy is and then look for people who have that kind of message, who may be ahead of you. Go join yourself there and build a relationship with those people who will want to set you free. Go and find your tribe and then go to a place where you can be celebrated and you can grow and develop. Don’t stay in a place where you’re merely tolerated and not really wanted. I do believe that the Lord is digging out prophetic wells in various regions around the country. Go join yourself to fathers in the prophetic who can develop you into real sonship.

Friends,

We are looking forward to our first baptism this Sunday, June 8th with baptism teaching beginning at 1pm and baptisms beginning approximately at 3pm. (by the way, we'll have a "somewhat warm" baptismal tank...as opposed to the literal Sandy River water temperature) In order to adequately plan for the afternoon, please call 503-515-2452 or send an email to victoryhouse@comcast.net if you'd like to attend and/or be baptized. Information is always posted at our Pacificministries Blog. We'll host our monthly Worship at the River at our regular 6pm time.

Most of you are aware of the Florida meetings with Todd Bentley. Todd is most assuredly an unconventional figure to most of the evangelical community. In 2000, Carlene and I and several leaders in Pacificministries attended a conference in Grant's Pass Oregon where Todd was one of many speakers. Those 3 days were pivotal in our current understanding of much of what God is doing around the world. Later, Todd came to Gresham and we held an "unconventional" meeting in a pizza parlor....and, over a New York style Canadian Bacon Garlic Pizza pie, Todd spoke a very accurate and confirming prophetic word over Carlene and I.

Rick Joyner has been a balanced and consistent voice for many. His recent series on revival has been very encouraging to those of us meeting in smaller groups. I've taken the liberty to highlight portions of his latest article, (find a link to the entire article at the end). I found it encouraging.

We bless you in this season of God's small beginnings!

Darrell and Carlene

P.S.

Couldn't resist sharing the latest pictures of our grandson, Calvin:

Morningstar Article

• I have been receiving communications from around the United States and Europe that are all reporting the same thing—they are seeing healings and miracles on a level like they have never seen before. This is a time of a great visitation of God to His people.
• The Lord is the same today as He was then. His name is not "I was," or "I will be," but "I AM." The same Holy Spirit that was present with the church in the Book of Acts is present with us today.
• Miracles do encourage people. God is moving again, and many things are now being done among us that are beyond human ability—they can only be attributed to God. Truth is also encouraging, and the same Spirit who does these works among us is also the Spirit of Truth, and He is about to pour out a great love for truth on His people....a generation is about to take their place that has not believed the evil report, the report of the ten evil spies. They have aligned themselves with the faithful report of Joshua and Caleb, that the taking of the inheritance has nothing to do with how big the giants are or how small we are but on how great our God is. They are now lining up on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to cross over and take their inheritance.
• Wisdom is basically the proper combination of knowledge with experience. However, both the knowledge and the experience of the emerging generation are going to be different from past generations. Many in my generation believed that the Lord was still healing and doing miracles today, they just rarely saw them.
• Disappointment is not nearly as bad as not believing. Start promoting faith, and start expecting miracles. The experience of the coming generation will not be the same as the last. It is always true wisdom to believe God.
• There is a difference between human energy, excitement, and faith that is sometimes hard to distinguish. True faith is often accompanied by excitement and always with expectation, but they are not always the same and are often confused. True faith can be quiet, even reserved. True excitement can also be very quiet and reserved.
• In the Scriptures, we see that Jesus usually did His greatest miracles, such as walking on the water, when there were just a few present.
• After the Lord did many of His great miracles, many had their hearts even more hardened, persecuting Him even more vehemently because of the works that He did. They were so hard-hearted that after He raised the dead, they even resolved to kill Him. Greater miracles and faith usually result in more persecution, not more people coming to faith in Jesus.
• True evangelism is not dependent on miracles, but on the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and the desperate need we have for the atonement of the cross.
• God heals because He loves people, and He does not like for them to suffer. He does miracles because we need them. This is why compassion is so crucial for a true healing ministry.
• The more obedient we become, the more power we can be trusted with.
• The churches that experience the most healings and miracles are likewise usually those that provide an atmosphere of faith and expectation, and the faith and expectation is directed to the Lord rather than the church or healing ministries. This could be summed up as learning to be a good host for the Holy Spirit.
• ...we must know Jesus as our Healer. We should be thankful for human medicine and remedies, which the Lord gave the wisdom and skills to develop. However, we should pursue having a healing ministry in the body of Christ that is so powerful and dependable that His people will not need hospitals or human remedies.
• ...the smallest meetings have tended to be the most powerful, which have been so pronounced that we start getting more excited when we see that it is going to be a smaller crowd in a meeting. Do not despise small meetings! Keep in mind that the Lord did His greatest miracles in small groups.

Click for Rick Joyner's entire article