This can be our best year yet if it is one of increasing love for God and drawing near to Him. Nothing is more contagious than a person who is getting closer to God, and this is the greatest thing that we could ever do for our loved ones, drawing them to the ultimate human purpose—loving God and serving Him.

If we are going to be the best stewards that we can be to the Lord, another principle that we need to understand is the importance of our training, and how He trains us to be able to handle more authority and resources. Our training is the investment that God is making in us, and we want Him to get the maximum return for this investment. Remarkably, He lets us determine what kind of return He will get from us by our faith and obedience.

     I was involved in another prophetic experience that I think has some great lessons. It happened when I was flying our ministry plane to Nashville with some of our musicians to do some recording. After taxing to the General Aviation ramp, a line girl directed us to a parking spot.

Our text for this week is Ephesians 2:17-19:

In relation to some of the most basic social goals for the nation, such as taking care of the needy and providing services like health care to the population, the majority of both conservatives and liberals agree, but the disagreement is in how to do it. One thing that caused me to cross the line to becoming a conservative was a study I read back in the 1970s, which indicated that only one dollar in ten in the budget of the Department of Health and Human Services actually made it to the needs, and the rest was being consumed in administration and bureaucracy.

The following are prophetic words, dreams or visions which I felt have implications for the entire church, given to those whom I consider to have proven prophetic gifts Each revelation is stated, and then I offer an interpretation and application. Please do keep in mind that the interpretations and applications did not come from those given the revelation, and in some cases their interpretations and/or applications may differ from what is written here. They are therefore offered for your judgment and consideration.

Rick Joyner

We are addressing the following questions: 

1) What is happening?
2) What is not happening?
3) What can we do about it?

This week we will address question 2: What is not happening?

After mobilizing or gathering people, it is crucial that training begin right away. The quality of that training will be the main factor that determines the force that they become. For this to be accomplished, we must also keep in mind that teaching and training are not the same thing. Quality teaching is also important, but it accomplishes little more than puffing people up with knowledge unless it is combined with training. Training calls for the actual experience of applying what is taught.

Last week, in discussing how the Lord refers to Himself as "the Lord of armies" more than ten times as much as all of His other titles, He obviously considers this aspect of His leadership as primary to His purpose. We will see this aspect becoming primary in the church in the times to come, but we must always keep in mind that the Lord's ways are higher than our ways, and His military demeanor, in many ways, will be different from the world's ways.

As we are still discussing the important subject of church government, which will also become a pattern for the coming kingdom government, the first principle in establishing and maintaining true spiritual authority is keeping the Lord as the Head of the church. Even the most perfectly biblical form of church government can be used to supplant His headship if we do not keep this main thing the main thing.