With our upcoming Harvest Fest, we will have hosted about fifty conferences altogether. Our whole team is basically on autopilot for them now, and sometimes we do not start getting ready until a couple of days before the conference. I was surprised when I started feeling an uncommon sense of anticipation for this one many months ago. This caused me to start inquiring of the Lord about it then. I was immediately told that this was going to be the most important conference or event we have ever hosted. Even so, I have only recently been shown why.

I am now convinced that something is going to happen at Harvest Fest that will not only impact the body of Christ, but will ultimately change its course so dramatically that those dates will one day be known as the days that the church changed. It may not be obvious to everyone during the conference, or even for a time after it. The kingdom of God does not always come with signs to be observed. Even so, during those few days a radical change will take place that will have a radical impact on our future.

This conference will begin on September 24th with prayer for all of the teams serving, and the dozens of ministries, publishers, and churches that are hosting tabernacles for this event. This is what the Scripture says about this date, the 24th day of the ninth month, in Haggai 2:18-23:

"Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month;
from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider:

"Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate
and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit. Yet from this day on I will bless you.'"

Then the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth
day of the month, saying,

"Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, "I am going to shake the
heavens and the earth.

"I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms
of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses
and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.'

"On that day,' declares the Lord of hosts, "I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of
Shealtiel, My servant,' declares the Lord, "and I will make you like a signet ring,
for I have chosen you,'" declares the Lord of hosts.

Zerubbabel means “sown in Babylon,” or “sown in confusion.” This is really true of the church in our times and the times we are in to a large degree. However, right in the midst of some of the worst confusion, great clarity of purpose is going to come. Many will be commissioned to their ultimate purpose during these days.

A New Breed of Leadership Will Take Over
Just a few months ago the commissioning of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was televised. I am not prone to watch this type of thing, but as I was channel surfing the anointing on this particular ceremony stunned and captured me so that I sat transfixed through the entire event. I also understand that often in prophetic symbolism, ships represent leader-ship. I felt immediately this ship was prophetic of the new breed of leadership that was about to be commissioned.

When President Reagan, who this ship was named after, was inaugurated, the country was certainly in the malaise that his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, had stated. The economy was crippled by near 20 percent interest rates. The military had been stripped, weakened, and demoralized, even as it confronted the mighty and threatening, Soviet Empire. The revolutionary government of Iran had humiliated the United States by seizing its embassy and imprisoning the ambassador and his entire staff, while our government sat seemingly helpless to do anything about it.

There is presently a shocking malaise that has come over the church. A Gallup pole revealed that tithing was down nearly two-thirds in just the past year. Just two years ago, right after the 9-11 attacks, church attendance broke all records. Now it may be hitting its lowest levels per capita in United States history. At the same time, almost every barometer of spiritual hunger is down dramatically. It has probably not been this dry spiritually in America for decades. However, dry woods catch fire easier, and we are about to experience one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in our history. The fire is about to fall.

A Movement Starts By Moving
There was a weird sense that the Carter Administration was trying to win the world over to our side by being nice to everybody. During that time, one felt that they had to continually apologize for just being an American. This emboldened the enemies of the United States and caused the world to laugh and scorn America. They perceived this attempt to win the world by being nice as a lack of strength and resolve.

At that time, the United States was a very wounded animal from the Vietnam debacle, and as she lay focused on her wounds the enemies circled, nipping at her continually while waiting for the chance to pounce and kill. Then Ronald Reagan became President and everything quickly and dramatically, changed.

Just before the inauguration, Iran released the embassy hostages. There was a general feeling that if they had not done this, there would have been swift consequences. The whole world seemed to sense that he would be a man of action, not just words. They were right.

Reagan immediately began to rebuild the military, starting with its self-esteem. He immediately passed a major tax cut that many said would be the doom of our economy. To just about everyone’s surprise, it worked, and the economy started turning around, gaining strength and momentum. This probably did not have as much to do with the tax cut as with the sense that there was a strong, proactive, leader at the helm who at least seemed to know where he was going, and why.

Ronald Reagan really did know where he was going, and why. He was one of our greatest “principled leaders.” There were certain basic principles that he felt had made America great, and would keep her great, and he was resolved to lead based on them. Immediately America’s enemies started backing off from the “wounded animal” that suddenly did not seem wounded anymore. She got up on her feet, and looked both strong and full of fight. We were no longer overly focused on our wounds, our problems, but started having a sense once again of who we were and what we were called to do.

Ronald Reagan had the demeanor of a kind grandfather who would have given the shirt off of his back to a homeless person, but would fight to the death with even the most powerful enemy who threatened his family—America and the free world. This gave the country a secure, protected feeling. Regardless of whether he always took the right action, he was unquestionably a man of action, and would do something. In time, even his worst critics admitted to liking him, and confessed that his accomplishments were significant, and even remarkable. They were more than that—they were salvation for a world quickly falling into the abyss.

Just by America taking a stand and showing resolve, the enemies of freedom began to retreat. Without question, Ronald Reagan’s leadership, not just his policies, caused the collapse of the Soviet Empire, and brought down the Iron Curtain. These most powerful strongholds collapsed because principled leadership, with resolve, stood up and took decisive leadership. His unquestionable willingness to use force probably saved millions of lives from death in what seemed to one day be inevitable—a war between the great powers.

Ronald Reagan did not do this just by the strength of his own character, but he was anointed and prepared for the task. At the right time, when America was in its deepest malaise and confusion, he stepped into the place for which he had been prepared, and simply did what was natural for him to do. He took decisive leadership based on his principles of devotion to God and freedom.

As I watched the commissioning ceremony of the United States Ship Ronald Reagan, not only our newest carrier, but the most powerful warship to have ever been launched, I knew something great was being released in America for these times—principled, strong leadership that will bring great strongholds down.

As the first watch on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was being set, I had a powerful sense that there was a changing of the guard in the leadership of America. Just as the officers and crew who would take this new carrier to sea took over all of the positions throughout this new ship, there is a whole new, principled, strong leadership that will be taking over key positions throughout the ship of state. Principled, strong leadership is coming to America, and they will take this ship to sea—to the nations.

The feeling that we need to apologize for being Americans is over. America has been raised up to take strong, decisive leadership in these times. We will not do it perfectly, as that will not be done until Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. Even so, what we do will be done effectively, and it will be to the benefit of the nations, especially the poor nations of the world, whose time has come to ascend. Many mountains are about to be brought low, and many valleys raised up.

This new principled, decisive, leadership is also coming to the church. Just as the setting of the first watch on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan represented a changing of the guard from those who built the ship to those who would sail it, a new, bold, proactive, leadership is coming to the church. They will not be content to just build things—they are going to use them.

When warships sail into foreign ports, it is called “showing the flag,”or we might say, “showing the standard.” For several centuries, this has been an important factor in the foreign policy of nations. However, a flag did not mean much unless the nation it represented was strong, and had respected leadership. There is about to be a whole new level of this type of diplomacy, both in the nations and in the church. Even so, the standards that are shown will only mean something if there is strength and leadership backing them up. There is a new and powerful anointing coming on standards and flags, but it will be because of the substance that backs them up. If this type of policy is effective enough, it can help to avoid conflicts.

So there is a place for “showing the flag,” but it is wisdom to know when to use this, and when not to. It was stated in the commissioning ceremony of the Ronald Reagan that this ship would not only “show the flag,” but also it would fight. Its power was not just for show, but to be used. As stated, in prophetic symbolism ships often represent leader-ship. This is the kind of leadership that will now emerge in both the country and the church. There is a proactive leadership crew that is about to take over every position on the ship that wants to go to sea. They will not care about looking good but getting the job done that they have been given to do.

We have not heard much from the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan yet, but we will. Few have perceived the changes going on in government, business, and all other major elements of the nation, but we will. Few have perceived the changes now taking place in the leadership of the church, but they too will soon become obvious.

You can count on one thing—this new leadership will not be apologizing for being Christians. This does not negate the rightful place for repentance for past mistakes, but for some this has gone way too far. The fleet is about to sail again! There is a new leadership with a clear directive to take their ships to sea, and to fight for righteousness and justice. Those who are being raised up will lead, and they will fight.

Sponsoring conferences has been a part of our mandate as a ministry for many years, but we are not oriented toward “event Christianity.” By this I mean that we know we will not be judged by how good the events themselves are, but by how the people attending them are changed, and what it produces in their lives, and those they will influence, long after the event is over.

There will be a clear trumpet call at the upcoming Harvest Fest, and it will be an in-your-face wake up call. Those who attend will not only be different, but they will go forth from there to make a difference. It will not matter how many there are. What will matter is who they are. A new breed of leader is about to be commissioned.