Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
new generation?
Jim Smith
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Introduction
Ghana is lost!
Ghana is lost unless the new generation rises up, faces the challenge and lives
in a new way, so that the Lord can redeem and bless.
What is written here is a challenge and a call to the new generation. This is
how the material is presented:How the blessing was lost is a prophets view, a spiritual view of what has
happened, and where this has left us today.
The situation today is a prophetic analysis of the church and the land of
Ghana today. It has been widely shared under the title "Fighting for the soul of
Ghana."
God`s word to the young generation is a very long prophetic challenge to
the new generation. Read it with care. It has many challenges in it for many
different people - men and women.
What is God looking for? outlines what the character of the new generation
must be, and challenges young people to take it up, reclaim Gods promise to
Ghana, redeem the nation, and prepare the way for a new outpouring of the
Spirit.
There isnt much time left.
I turned to the East and cried out Wake up. Repent and worship. Call on the
name of the Lord! There was no reply. I tuned to the West, and cried out
Wake up! Repent and worship. Call on the name of the Lord! There was no
reply.
I fell down and cried because one was found to answer the call of the prophet
or the word of the Lord. Lord, I said, I have been trying for years, for
decades to call them back. Now the nation is in desperate danger, and they are
unable to hear. If they cannot hear, how can they fight for the soul of Ghana?
What hope is there for such a blind, deaf and lost people?
Suddenly the valley was filled with light - bright golden light, so bright that I
could hardly stand. As I looked, it began to shine on the small group of tired
and defeated people. Stand up! I called, The Lord is here. Worship him and
call on his name. Nobody in the group moved. We are too tired they
replied. It is hopeless. We are lost.
In desperation I went up to them and said Stand up! Worship and repent. The
Lord gives and the Lord takes away. He is God. Stand up, repent and worship
him. Now is the time. It is not yet too late.
* We have sunk so low.
I was standing in a cave - it was totally black, except for the light I was
holding. A figure came towards me. He was sad, helpless and beaten down.
He was amazed when he saw me, and he said You have a light!
Yes I said. I am a prophet, and I have the light of Gods revelation.
We are in darkness now he said. We once had a light, but it was a false light.
It burned very bright, and we followed it, thinking This will give us comfort.
This will give us ease. This will give us wealth and prosperity.
We saw other lights, but we ignored them. Those that carried them called out
obedience, service, endurance suffering. But we did not want those
lights. They sounded so dull. The light we were following was bright and joyful.
On and on we followed it, deeper and deeper into the light, we thought.
But one day a storm came. A strong wind stronger than we had ever seen
before and it broke us. We cried out for help, but when we looked to the light,
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it had been blown out. Then we saw that we were in the darkness, lost and
bewildered. Shine again we cried out, but those who had the light were
nowhere to be seen. They had led us into the darkness.
We became weak, helpless, hopeless and bewildered. Some of us looked for
the old lights, the ones we had so foolishly rejected. But no one knew how to
find them. Now we are lost. Is there any hope for us? Can your light, the pure
light, help us? If you do not we are lost forever.
I asked What is your name? The man replied The Church of Ghana. I was
shocked and turned to the Lord. He did not speak. I saw that he was crying.
Lord, I said Is there any hope? Is it too late to bring your light again to your
people? It is never too late he replied, but even if they find their way back
again, they must learn to be small. Never again will I allow them to be big, or to
achieve great things. They must seek the way of humility, of suffering, of and
service. Then, and only then, when I see this desire coming on them can I call
them back to the true light. Will they come Lord?
The Lord began to cry again, and so did I.
* The hope
I saw a man, broken and hopeless. He was covered with scars and wounds. He
was not beautiful, and no one loved him. To get his food, he sat in the gutter
and begged. People passed by, laughing at him, spitting at him and beating
him.
Then I saw the Lord come down the road. He stopped by the man and said
What is your name? The man replied I have no name, I am a beggar. Please
give me something.
The Lord asked him again What is your name? The man replied I once had a
name. I once lived in a Kings house. I was loved and cared for. I was expected
to do so much. But I strayed from my father, and an enemy did this to me.
The Lord asked again. What is your name?
The man replied My name is Ghana. The Lord began to cry, because Ghana
had been brought so low. He took the man in his arms, and began to heal him.
Come the Lord said, Walk with me again.
* Who will pay the price?
A great tiredness came on me. Lord I said, I can't go on. I sat down, and
wanted to go to heaven, and be released from being broken by the agony
which is Ghana's agony. The Lord looked at me, and began to cry. We have to
pay the price he said, and came and comforted me.
Ghanaian church? Another faith is rising up in Ghana. It has publicly stated that
it plans to take Ghana for Islam. Ghana is a democracy and anyone is free to
follow whatever religion he or she feels is right. But the Ghanaian church has
shown little of no concern for this advance. In fact, some appear to welcome it
and help it. God sees this as apostasy - as supporting another god, when he has
stated clearly You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
This has terrible consequences, not the least of which is the breaking of the
altar of intercession between God and his people. (See Mending the broken
altar from the Africa March 2012 page of www.serving-africa.org)
This is the church which the adult generation is handing to the new generation.
* Failure - An arrogant church
In all my traveling, I have never come across a church as arrogant as the church
in Ghana. No matter what the people do, however much they sin, however far
they fall from grace, however much they refuse to listen, still they say God
will never leave us. God will always bless us. I always ask them which God
they are following because this is certainly not the God of the Bible. He loves
too much to let such a terrible position continue. He wants a pure bride, and
he will strive to get a pure bride, whatever the cost. He lost a whole generation
when the people refused to take his promise. (Numbers 14) He didn't do this
out of anger but out of love. He wants a pure people.
So on what grounds do Gods people in Ghana think he will change his
principles. This arrogance has led the nation to the brink of disaster.
* Failure - My personal breakthrough. My personal miracle.
Over the last fifteen years, I have watched the church in Ghana sink lower and
lower in prayer, in commitment and in fighting skill. The reason is that so many
of God`s people, including many leaders, have gone after their personal
miracle. This total commitment to personal need, met with an easy promise of
prosperity and blessing has reduced the once passionate church in Ghana to
weakness. As a result of my personal miracle, God`s people have forgotten
how to pray with passion and endurance, how to endure and suffer for victory
and how to serve. Everything has been forsaken for my personal miracle.
Many leaders have been happy to meet this need, and have become famous
and prosperous. But Ghana has suffered. Her protection has been stripped
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away, and other gods are taking a prominent position, gods which do not bring
freedom but slavery. Now when the Spirit calls for maximum effort and
endurance, the Ghanaian church does not know how to respond.
Spiritually, Ghana has been raped, and now is in a desperate situation.
* Failure - the consequences
These collective failures have brought consequences with them.
* The voice of true prophecy has become rare, and when it does speak, it is not
recognised.
* The people have lost their ability to endure, to contest and to struggle.
* The people became arrogant, lazy and weak, unable to pray and unable to
fight.
* But worse than all these things, the altar has been broken. The one place
where help could have come has been shut down. This terrible error - this
breaking of the altar - has broken the church, and lost the promise.
This is the church which the current people and leadership are handing to the
heritage - to the young adult Christians who are rising up. This is your heritage,
and may God forgive us for passing you such a shamed and polluted bride.
I saw a great plain, and all God`s Ghanaian people were gathered before the
Lord.
At first, the people tried to shout and praise, but the Lord did not move and
eventually all became quiet. Then I saw that there were tears on the face of
the Lord. He spoke:10
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help and love to those who are weary and tired. You shall be called my
servants, and you shall serve me.
Some felt their mouths were full of fire. To these the Lord said I have
anointed you with the pure fire of my Gospel. What has been preached for
years has been weak and powerless - a seeking after miracle, after sensation,
after what people can get. But you have the pure fire which will burn into the
hearts of those who listen. You are to call them to follow me with a pure
heart, for what I have done for them not for what they can get. Some of you
will have national ministry. Be careful that you do not grow arrogant,
standing in your own strength. That way leads to apostasy, as I have shown
you. The evangelistic stream has been polluted. I appoint you to be pure
speakers of my word.
Some felt a passion in their minds. To these the Lord said I appoint you to
deep understanding of the truths of my word. You will be guardians of the
truth - guard it well. Be sure that my people are well taught, standing in a
proper understanding of my word, not the shallow things they are so often
given. You are guardians of the truth. Study my word and then grow old in
my service.
Some felt a stirring in the wombs. To these the Lord said To you I will grant
children of your own. This is the generation to follow you. Be sure that you
bring these children up in the ways which I have taught you, and not in the
ways of those who have gone before you. I place the right children in the
right wombs so that they are in the right family to grow into what I want
them to be. Cherish this gift. It comes from me. The children you bear are the
heritage for the future of the land.
Some fell on the ground, feeling full of illness. To these the Lord said I call
you to heal the sick. Raise up those who are bowed down with illness. Bring
them back to the health which is my purpose for my creation.
Some found a song rising up in their mouths. They could not hold it back, but
began to sing. To these the Lord said The new generation needs a new song
to sing. To you I give the gift of music. Use it wisely, to lead my people into
my presence. Do not glorify yourself or glorify the music.
Some felt a great darkness come on them. To these the Lord said I give you
spiritual power to pull down the works of darkness. I give you a fighting
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spirit, and an insight to know the works of darkness and to oppose them. Be
strong in me, for the path is hard. But I will be with you.
Some looked down and found oil on their hands. To these the Lord said I
need an anointed leadership among my people. You I will raise up to a
position where you can anoint others into leadership within the church. You
will rise to senior positions, but remember the reason is so that you can
release others into ministry. If you are faithful, you will release hundreds of
my servants into their ministries. I will give you long life and you will anoint
to leadership some of the children of which I spoke earlier. But the path to
this ministry will be hard.
Some felt the burden of the Lord, and to these the Lord said The prophetic
stream has failed, and led the people into danger. I appoint you as the new
prophetic stream. Be pure. Serve me. Speak only what I tell you. Serve the
church and serve me. I will provide your every need. Do not take up this
burden for fame, for money or for position. Walk humbly and I will speak
powerfully to you. Deny me and I will deny you.
The Lord called a small group to him and said To this group I give the name
destiny. Ghana has a destiny in the world. For this to come to pass, some of
my people must work for that destiny in the business and in the politics. I call
you destiny marked. I will bring you to key positions, and some of you will
have vast influence and vast resources. Use them well not to enrich yourself,
but to bring Ghana to her destiny.
Some felt the word education forming in their minds. The Lord said To
these, I give the gift of teaching. Take care of the heritage. Teach them, and
bring them on in their minds and their understanding, for this will bless the
destiny of Ghana.
Some felt the word justice forming in their minds. The Lord said To these I
say `I am placing you in positions of influence in justice. Remember to treat
all equally, and judge and administer fairly. Punish the wrongdoer, but with
compassion and love. Take no bribe and stand on my truth. This will edify
and build up the nation.
Then I saw the Lord call individuals forward, and he spoke to them privately.
As each one turned back to the group, their faces were shining.
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The vision came to an end as the Lord spoke again. I have equipped my new
generation. Everyone fell down and worshipped.
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Wholeheartedly
Wholeheartedly is the Hebrew word male, and it means to be full to
overflowing - like a river about to spill out of its bed. That was Caleb. He
wanted all that God wanted for him, and then wanted some more. He knew
the will of the Lord, and wanted to do that will to his uttermost, and then some
more. With Caleb Gods problem wasnt getting him to act, it was holding him
back! He pressed on.
King David had the same wholehearted spirit:- After removing Saul, he
made David their king. God testified concerning him: I have found David son
of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.
(Acts 13:22)
God loves this attitude. It means that he can get things done. In Ghana, he has
always found this difficult. I was once speaking to a group of leaders about the
need for urgent prayer in Ghana, and the front row of Pastors went to sleep! I
was very upset and, later, I said to the Lord How am I ever going to get
anything done? The Lord`s reply was very disappointing -. He said I hardly
ever get anything done here.
But its not just that these men would do things for him that made the Lord
love them. He didnt love them for what they did, but for their heart attitude
towards him. By their actions they showed that they put Him first, and his will
first, and his ways first. God loves this, and blesses such people and the works
they do, because those works are in line with His will. This must be the mark of
the character of the new generation. God must say Look at my new
generation in Ghana. They have a different sprit, and follow me
wholeheartedly.
Wholeheartedly - going deeper
How did this different spirit work in practice? This is how Caleb saw it:The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is
pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and
honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not
be afraid of the people of the land because we will swallow them up. Their
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protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.
(Num. 14:7)
Let's see how this worked out in practice.
* Gods plans are exceedingly good.
Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)
Caleb served a good God, and he knew it. The task looked really tough. The
Israelites were not an army but a group of civilians, untrained in military
matters. The Promised Land was inhabited by a tough race, and apparently
well defended. Even trained military would have found it a challenge. God had
issued a command. He was good, so his purposes, hard thought they may
seem, were good. He would not fail his people.
* God has his ways.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice
behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.(Isa 30:21)
The Red sea was a massive problem to Moses and the people, but not a
problem to God. When the Egyptians advanced to kill, God gave a simple
command lift up your rod. When the Egyptians tried to use Gods ways for
their purposes, God shut the sea on them, and they were a threat no longer.
God had a similar plan of lifting up for our salvation. And I, when I am lifted
up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:32) It also looked
foolish, but it was his way, and amazingly, it worked!
God has his ways, and Caleb knew it. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will
lead us. Its this simple but profound conviction which is essential to the
purposes of God, and it us found in a heart which is whole heartedly turned
and open to him.
* God can overcome.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved
us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
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demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38)
Caleb had seen the Red Sea part, and so he knew that, whatever faced him,
God could and would overcome it. The new generation has to be an
overcoming generation. The word overcomer in the Romans passage means
more than just being victorious. It means to win, to take the territory of the
defeated enemy, occupy it and use it to God`s glory. The Lord is looking for a
generation which will cross the Jordan, tear down Jericho and take the land of
Ghana for Christ, and be God`s ambassadors to the wider Sub Saharan region.
The Lord is looking for a generation of commitment, of endurance, of suffering
for the Name, a generation which will win back the land for him. He is looking
for the Caleb generation. Where is it? Ghana needs this generation, like it has
never needed it before. Now is the time to step forward.
What should I do?
I have watched many DVDs and read many books where, at this point, the
authors present us with a plan of action. I am not against such suggestions in
principle, but I am offering none.
All I can suggest is that if anyone reading this - any young Christian - has seen
the pain in the heart of God for his broken church and his broken nation then
he or she offers their life as a holy sacrifice to him, so that he can use that life
to change Ghana.
Final word
I saw a man, broken and hopeless. He was covered with scars and wounds. He
was nor beautiful, and no one loved him. To get his food, he sat in the gutter
and begged. People passed by, laughing at him, spitting at him and beating
him.
Then I saw the Lord come down the road. He stopped by the man and said
What is your name? The man replied I have no name, I am a beggar. Please
give me something.
The Lord asked again What is your name? The man replied I once had a
name. I once lived in a Kings house. I was loved and cared for. I was expected
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to do so much. But I strayed from my father, and an enemy did this to me.
The Lord asked again What is your name? The man replied My name is
Ghana.
The Lord began to cry, because Ghana had been brought so low. Then he called
to his people Help this man!
But no one heard the call. The people were full of their own needs and their
own desires, and didn`t have time for a beggar. Then the Lord climbed a hill,
and looked out over Ghana. He called Where are you my people? Where are
you who will care for this beggar? Where are you who will bear his pain, heal
his wounds and bring him back to his Father`s house?
As I heard this I cried that no one answered. I will do it I said. The Lord
turned to me and said No prophet. This you will not do. Find others who will.
Lord I said, I have been trying for years, but I have found no one. Try once
more he said. Try for the last time.
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