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Prophetic Conference 2016 (Saturday PM) - Pastor Danny Bonilla (May 28, 2016) | Life Bible Church

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  1. Pastor Danny, come. I'm blessed. It's an honor

  2. for me to be here and to be able to spend this

  3. weekend with you. I know my wife is desiring

  4. to be among you again. And I talked to her, told

  5. her what God is doing in your midst. And she's

  6. all excited. She's praying for these meetings.

  7. We're believing God that as we continue to travel

  8. and touch churches around the world, in different

  9. nations of the world. God would allow us to strengthen

  10. the body of Christ and cause people to see how

  11. God sees them. So it's my delight to be with

  12. you tonight. I want to use this time to talk

  13. to you about intercession because we have been

  14. talking all weekend about prophetic intercession

  15. and that's been the theme of our time together

  16. since Friday night all morning this morning and

  17. tonight I want to follow through with that. I

  18. believe that God wants to make everyone here

  19. a prophetic intercessor. Not somebody who just

  20. prays, but somebody who can hear God, somebody

  21. who has access into the presence of God, and

  22. somebody who can bring change to the world. I

  23. so thank God that he really... wants us to hear

  24. his voice. He is, God is speaking all the time.

  25. We're not always listening, but he's talking

  26. all the time. And if you would dare to lend yourself

  27. and to avail yourself to the Lord and say, God,

  28. do with me what you wish. I believe that you'll

  29. begin to be visited by God. He will show up in

  30. the morning hours, show up in the evening hours.

  31. He'll meet you wherever you are so that he can

  32. build that relationship with you because he wants

  33. to bring you close to him that you might know

  34. his heart and that you might have a perspective

  35. like his. So prophetic intercessors, it's my

  36. title for tonight, prophetic intercessors are...

  37. Warriors. Prophetic intercessors are warriors.

  38. Or valley warriors. Prophetic intercessors are

  39. valley warriors. Somebody say valley warriors.

  40. They know that the journey to the mountaintop

  41. starts in the valley. That's what prophetic warriors

  42. are all about. They know about the mountaintops.

  43. But they've been trained in the valley. God.

  44. Shows off his heroes on the mountaintop. But

  45. he trains them in the valley. And I believe that

  46. God has been training this church. He's had you

  47. going through training after training. And taking

  48. you through valleys. That you might climb the

  49. next mountaintop. I believe that God is raising

  50. a prophetic intercessory army in this house.

  51. That's going to bring change all over this land.

  52. So I am convinced that God is going to do something

  53. to bring you into the promise. In Deuteronomy

    Deuteronomy 11 chapter mention

  54. chapter 11, listen to what the scripture says

  55. concerning the promise of God. Deuteronomy 11

    Deuteronomy 11:11–13

  56. verse 11 through 13. But the land you are crossing

  57. the Jordan to take possession of is a land of

  58. mountains and valleys. Somebody say mountains

  59. and valleys. And I like the way God just threw

  60. this in. It's a land of mountains and valleys.

  61. Somebody say mountains. And valleys. And you

  62. and I. As we go into the promise that God has.

  63. We're going to have to go through the mountains

  64. and the valleys. And it says that drinks the

  65. rain from heaven. It is the land the Lord your

  66. God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God

  67. are continually on it. From the beginning of

  68. the year. To its end. God doesn't cease to look

  69. upon that land. So if you faithfully obey the

  70. command. I am giving you today. To love the Lord

  71. your God. And to serve him with all of your heart.

  72. And with all of your soul. If God has called

  73. us. To love him. So that we can enter into that

  74. promised land. Whatever that promise might be

  75. to you. It's the word of the Lord to your family.

  76. Or to your house. It's not just a physical landscape,

  77. but it's that promise, what you heard from God,

  78. what God said he would do in your life. It's

  79. a journey. Every one of us is going to have to

  80. journey to that promise. And I hope that you

  81. are in the mood for valleys because you're going

  82. to experience valleys in the journey. It's a

  83. land of mountains and valleys. God uses the mountain

  84. tops to work on our vision, to give us vision

  85. and clarity to see the future. Give us hope and

  86. strengthen our life through vision, a clear sight

  87. of the future. But in the valley, you can't see

  88. quite clear. In the valley, you have a different

  89. perspective. You can't see what you saw on the

  90. mountaintop. The valley is not for the vision

  91. purpose. The valley is for character purpose.

  92. The valley is where God works on us. So I know

  93. that God's working on your life. And tonight

  94. has been an expression of God working on people's

  95. lives, even those that have been through the

  96. valley. Listen to what Psalm 84, verses 5 through

    Psalms 84:5–7

  97. 7 says. Psalm 84, verses 5 through 7. Blessed

    Psalms 84:5–7

  98. are those whose strength is in you, whose heart

  99. are set on a pilgrimage. Would you look at somebody

  100. and say, I'm going somewhere. That's right. You've

  101. got to believe that you're on a pilgrimage. You're

  102. moving in God. God, while you've made your home

  103. here and you've established yourself here, God's

  104. wanting to take you spiritually to another place

  105. in him, another season that he wants you to experience.

  106. It says, whose hearts are set on a pilgrimage.

  107. As they pass through the valley of Baca. Or the

  108. valley of suffering. Which is the proper interpretation

  109. of that word Baca. The valley of tears. The valley.

  110. As they pass through the valley of tears. Of

  111. suffering. They make it. Somebody say they. They

  112. make it. It's not they're waiting on God to make

  113. it. They make it. They take authority. They step

  114. out. They make it a place of springs. The autumn

  115. rains also cover it with pools. They go from

  116. strength to strength till each appears before

  117. God inside. Somebody say they make it. Come on.

  118. Look at your neighbor and say it's your responsibility.

  119. To fill the valley with pools of water. Amen.

  120. It's your responsibility to bring the rain into

  121. your dry time. Into the valley. You can change

  122. the valley. And the valley is not a place. Where

  123. you're going to languish and die. Where you're

  124. going to park yourself. Get a t -shirt and say

  125. I live in the valley. Of tears. God has never

  126. intended for any of you. To live in a valley

  127. of suffering. God didn't call you out of darkness.

  128. So that you could mope around crying. And just

  129. feel sorry for yourself. You're not here. To

  130. just live in a sorry attack. All of your life.

  131. God has called you out of darkness. marvelous

  132. light to bring you to a place of strength. And

  133. I like what it says. They go from strength to

  134. strength until each one of them appears before

  135. God in Zion. Come on. Somebody say, I'm going

  136. to go to the next level. There's another level

  137. of strength. There's another level that I've

  138. not known. There's another level of character

  139. that God wants to shape in me. Some of you think

  140. you've been around the kingdom so long you've

  141. reached the finish line. I got news for you.

  142. God moves the finish line. When you think you've

  143. arrived, God moves the finish line. And he says,

  144. no, you're still alive. I still got work in you.

  145. Some of you have been through so many valleys,

  146. you can't take another one. You're kind of saying,

  147. not another valley. Is he really going to preach

  148. on another valley? No, I'm preaching about what

  149. God wants. God shapes in the valley. In the valley

  150. God makes warriors. In the valley God trains

  151. people and takes them from strength to strength.

  152. Till they appear before God in the mountain.

  153. In Zion. In the place. But it all starts in the

  154. valley. The valley. I believe God wants to train

  155. his people in the valley. Train in the valley.

  156. Listen to it. Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 15

    Deuteronomy 8:15–16

  157. through 16 says it this way. He led you through

  158. the vast and dreadful wilderness. That thirsty

  159. and waterless land. With its venomous snakes

  160. and scorpions. Anybody ever been through that?

  161. Or you even feared for your life? He brought

  162. you water out of the hard rock. How many know

  163. God can provide in the desert? He gave you manna

  164. to eat in the wilderness. Something your ancestors

  165. had never known. To humble. And test you. So

  166. that in the end. It might go well with you. Oh

  167. you have an expected end in God. But you're not

  168. going to get there. Without going through the

  169. valley. The way he secures your end. You're expected

  170. in. The God who does not want to do you harm.

  171. But wants to do you good. Is that he allows you

  172. to go through the valleys. And many of us are

  173. saying. God but why me? You allow. the sister

  174. who sits with me in church, send her through

  175. the valley this time. And we want to send it

  176. somewhere else. We'd rather them go through it.

  177. I'll support her. I'll help her through it, God.

  178. But don't let me go through it again. But the

  179. valley is very needful for all of us because

  180. God is training us for a great future. Because

  181. your future is greater than what you have today,

  182. God has to train your character. So you can handle

  183. what he's going to give you in the future. Hebrews

    Hebrews 12 chapter mention

  184. chapter 12 in the New Testament verse 11. It

  185. says no discipline seems pleasant at the time.

  186. But painful. Somebody say painful. Come on look

  187. at somebody and say I got a feeling this is going

  188. to hurt. It's painful. All of us have been through

  189. the pain. All of us. There's not one person here

  190. who hasn't been through some pain in life. We're

  191. all going to experience pain. What makes a difference

  192. in the kingdom of God is that when you go through

  193. those painful experiences, it's going to count

  194. for you. God is going to cause it to work on

  195. your behalf. It's not going to be in vain. All

  196. of your tears, all of your sorrow, all of the

  197. suffering, all of the pain will work on your

  198. behalf. No discipline seems pleasant at the time,

  199. but painful later on. Somebody say later on.

  200. Later on, however, it produces a harvest. Somebody

  201. say a harvest. A harvest of righteousness and

  202. peace for those who have been trained by it.

  203. You're trained in the area of pain. God trains

  204. you for a great harvest. Listen, you go through

  205. one thing, you might lose one thing, but there's

  206. a harvest coming with a lot more than you expected

  207. ever to have. And though you might have lost

  208. some things, get ready for a harvest. Some of

  209. you have suffered great loss. You're broken.

  210. You're hurting. And you're saying, I can't go

  211. through another trial. I don't want to go through

  212. another time of pain. But listen, if you knew

  213. what was on the other side of that wilderness,

  214. what was on the other side, the harvest of righteousness

  215. and peace that passes all understanding, you'd

  216. walk through it. You'd say, I'll do it again.

  217. And God has a reward. God wants to reward you

  218. with a great harvest that cannot be compared

  219. with what you've had in the past. I believe God

  220. wants to do something greater in your life, greater

  221. in your family, and he's going to do it by his

  222. spirit as he takes you through the valley and

  223. trains you. So God is doing a character. Character

  224. could not be developed in ease and quiet. We'd

  225. love for that to happen. Just sit back and put

  226. your remote in your hand and God's going to shape

  227. your character while you watch your favorite

  228. show. But character doesn't happen that way.

  229. Only through experience of trial and suffering

  230. can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared,

  231. ambition inspired, and success achieved. It's

  232. through those painful times. It's through those

  233. experiences of trial and suffering. You can say

  234. amen or you can say ouch. But it's the reality.

  235. You're going to suffer some things for the sake

  236. of what God has prepared for you in the future.

  237. Because he's at an end. He wants your end to

  238. be greater than your present. And I don't know

  239. about you, but I want everything God has for

  240. me. I want it to do whatever he has to do with

  241. me so that I can reach. that future that he has

  242. planned for my life. I've served the Lord for

  243. 43 years now, been through a number of valleys,

  244. but I'm ready. I'm ready to say, God, whatever

  245. you need to do, but don't leave me here. I'm

  246. glad, I'm satisfied with what I have now, but

  247. I know there's more. Somebody say, there's more.

  248. There's more influence. There's more authority.

  249. There's more blessing. There's more prosperity.

  250. There's more that God wants to bring on your

  251. life. And I believe you and I, if we want more,

  252. we've got to be able to dare to walk through

  253. the valley of suffering. We've got to be able

  254. to get the wisdom to turn it around. And prophetic

  255. intercessors can walk through the valley. They're

  256. trained warriors, valley warriors. And I believe

  257. that God will cause vision. To come into the

  258. lives of his people. Man character cannot be

  259. developed. But vision. If you go to the next

  260. slide with me. Vision. Vision comes from God.

  261. To inspire us. To show us our destiny. The fulfillment

  262. of our purpose. Character comes from our disciplines.

  263. And our choices in life. Character has the power

  264. to take us to our future. The lack of character

  265. has the power to sabotage our future. What if

  266. I told you that every problem in your life is

  267. due to a lack of character in you or in somebody

  268. that's close to you? So character is important.

  269. And for those of you who are married, don't think

  270. your wife is going to go through the desert and

  271. you're going to stay out singing Kumbaya somewhere

  272. waiting for her to get through her desert. You're

  273. married. You're one. You're going to go through

  274. it together. I hope you can strengthen each other

  275. during that time because God is shaping the two

  276. of you to make the kind of decisions that come

  277. from a character that's been forged in the fires

  278. of God. Vision. Vision. Character comes from

  279. our disciplines and our choices in life. Character

  280. has the power. Character has the power to take

  281. us to our future. There'll be people that'll

  282. come into your life. Someone said people are

  283. like the buttons in an elevator. They can take

  284. you up or can take you down. You gotta know which

  285. one you're gonna press. You gotta know who you're

  286. gonna relate to because people can make a difference

  287. in your life. Vision. Let's talk about vision

  288. just for a moment. Vision is not what you see

  289. in the present. Vision, what you see in the present

  290. is your now. But vision is a fast forward image

  291. of the future. It's God giving you a glimpse.

  292. You know what happened prophetically here? That

  293. tonight God showed people a glimpse of their

  294. future. If you do this, I'm going to do this

  295. with you. If you submit, I'm going to take you.

  296. I'm going to make something out of you. I'm going

  297. to do it. I thank God for the glimpse of the

  298. future. How many thank God for those glimpse

  299. you caught? God wants to show us those visions

  300. of the future so that we can stir ourselves up

  301. and believe God for great things. We can learn

  302. to just submit to God and say, God, I want that.

  303. It looks good. I want it in my life. Vision is

  304. different than perspective. Perspective is not

  305. what you see, but how you see it. Amen? You might

  306. see something one way, but it's not the right

  307. perspective. How many of you have ever had the

  308. wrong perspective? And you were embarrassed when

  309. you found out it was not what you thought it

  310. was. Perspective can mess you up. A young couple

  311. moved into a new community. and had a lesson

  312. in perspective. They moved next to a lady who

  313. was raising rabbits, and they had a large dog

  314. with them. They didn't have kids. They were youngly

  315. married, but here this lady had rabbits, and

  316. there where he was, our dog, we got to hold on

  317. to him, make sure he doesn't get a hold of those

  318. rabbits. He's a good dog, but he's liable to

  319. kill one. He's big and strong, and he'll play

  320. with them. Lo and behold, one day he walked in

  321. with the rabbit in his mouth, and it was dead,

  322. bloody, and dirty. And they wrestle the dog for

  323. the rabbit, pulled it out, and it looked terrible,

  324. like a rag. So they said, we can't talk to this

  325. lady like this. This is her prized rabbit. This

  326. is her favorite of all the rabbits. And they

  327. took the rabbit and that couple. Began to shampoo

  328. it and wash it. And they shampooed its fur. And

  329. took all the blood out. All the stains out. Made

  330. it look clean. They blow dried it. And gave it.

  331. Just made it look all fluffy again. So they decided.

  332. Fluffy looks so good. They said let's not even

  333. tell her he's dead. Let's put him back in the

  334. cage. And let her find him in the morning dead.

  335. So they went through all this trouble. Hours

  336. combing a dead rabbit. Then they put him back

  337. in the cage that night. In the morning, they

  338. heard the screams of this lady screaming, my

  339. rabbit, my rabbit. She's jumping up and down.

  340. She can hardly contain herself. And they run

  341. out like if they didn't know what had happened.

  342. And say, what happened? She says, my rabbit,

  343. my rabbit. And so he looked into the cage and

  344. pulled the rabbit out from the cage and said,

  345. it is dead. And she said, no, it's not that.

  346. He died three days ago. I buried him in the backyard

  347. and now he's back in the cage. Perspective. What

  348. you see is not always the reality of what you

  349. think. Well, that couple had to learn a good

  350. lesson and that poor dog suffered for the wrong

  351. perspective. The moral of this story is don't

  352. spend your life combing a dead rabbit. Some people

  353. just don't let it go. They just got to comb it,

  354. got to make it look good. I know it's thin, but

  355. I got to comb it. It's got to look good. Well,

  356. don't spend your life thinking about something

  357. that's happened in the past. Release yourself

  358. from the past. Get a fresh perspective on God.

  359. Get the perspective that God has about your life.

  360. If you're looking at the past, You've got the

  361. wrong perspective about your future. But if you're

  362. looking to the future. You're looking at what

  363. God's looking at. Listen. God is not dependent

  364. on your future to create. Or dependent on your

  365. past to create your future. God has a future.

  366. And he's the maker of your future. He will create

  367. a whole. He'll write a whole new history. About

  368. your life and your family. I don't care what

  369. you've been through. I don't care how you drug

  370. your face in the mud. How much you've messed

  371. up. How many mistakes you've made. The God who

  372. we serve. is the God who saves. The God who redeems.

  373. The God who restores. He'll lift you up. Clean

  374. you up. And get you on track. And put you on

  375. the right focus so you can steer out the future

  376. that he has for you. Somebody ought to give God

  377. a clap offering. Perspective. And that comes

  378. through prophetic insight. Prophetic insight

  379. is the discerning ability to know. What to do

  380. and when to do it. In order to arrive at the

  381. next mountaintop in your life. You got to know

  382. what to do and when to do it. Some people know

  383. what to do but don't know when to do it. And

  384. they mess things up in life. Some people think

  385. they know what to do but are out of timing. And

  386. they mess up as well. So you need to know what

  387. to do and when to do it. Timing is very important

  388. to God. And sometimes we hear a prophetic word

  389. and we want to run with that prophetic word without

  390. being able to discern the right time of our lives.

  391. Did you learn everything you need to learn before

  392. you get out there and try to fulfill that great

  393. word of God that will put a great responsibility

  394. on you? Well, some great things have been prophesied

  395. in this church over the course, not just tonight,

  396. but over the course of the history of this church.

  397. But God has had to take this church through the

  398. valley. Taking families. Men and women through

  399. the valley. Couples going through the valley.

  400. Women through the valley. Some people didn't

  401. survive that valley. Some of you are alone today

  402. because those who you were walking with didn't

  403. survive the training in the valley. But the valley,

  404. the valley. Let me tell you about the valley.

  405. The valley is a dark place, limited vision. It's

  406. a place of limited vision. Days seem shorter

  407. because the foliage of the trees and the mountains

  408. around it. It's a place of uncertainties. And

  409. that's a hard place. Every time we're in that

  410. place is where God wants to know what we're going

  411. to do. Will we trust Him in that season of uncertainties

  412. in our life? Well, we don't know where God's

  413. going to provide from. Well, we don't know how

  414. it's all going to work out. But you don't have

  415. all the answers. The valleys are that place.

  416. Some of you might be in that valley right now.

  417. And maybe this word is for you. Some of you are

  418. just getting ready to go into the valley. I hope

  419. you remember this word. The place where God works

  420. on our character, that's the valley. A place

  421. where your friends are confirmed and your enemies

  422. are revealed. That's the valley. Somebody say,

  423. that's the valley. Some of you have been there.

  424. You've already had the revelation of who's your

  425. friend and who's not. It's the place where we

  426. overcome strongholds. It's the place where heroes

  427. are made. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Deborah,

  428. Barak, Gideon. The list goes on. Even David overcame

  429. Goliath in the valley of Elah. The place where

  430. you wait on the word from God is the valley.

  431. The place where you wait on the word of God to

  432. make your next move. The valley is not the place

  433. where you make life decisions to change the course

  434. of your life. Some people get so frustrated and

  435. fearful because of the uncertainties of the valley

  436. that they want to make life -changing decisions.

  437. I'm leaving this church. And they'll pick up

  438. because they're going through the valley. Little

  439. did they know that God had them in the test.

  440. God was testing their character because he was

  441. about to promote them to something greater. But

  442. they stepped out and they missed the visitation

  443. of God. They stepped out and didn't see the provision

  444. of God come to them. And they won't get what

  445. God had for them until they come back to the

  446. place where they stepped out of it. Until they

  447. come back to the place where they missed God.

  448. Some of us haven't learned. We go from one valley

  449. experience and if you don't learn from your valley

  450. experience, you'll just repeat the valley. And

  451. God's got all the time in the world. You might

  452. not have it. You'll run out of time. You'll grow

  453. old going from one valley to another and not

  454. learning. It was Moses in the desert going around

  455. because the people didn't learn. 40 years in

  456. the desert. Well, I hope your valleys don't last

  457. that long. I hope you can get through it. I hope

  458. you can walk. Through the valleys, I believe

  459. God wants to strengthen you. I believe God wants

  460. to empower you as a prophetic intercessor that

  461. can turn your valleys into something positive.

  462. That can cause water to come to you in the valleys.

  463. That you can fill your valleys with pools of

  464. water and turn them into strength in your life.

  465. Are you with me? The valley. The valley is the

  466. place where you wait on the word of God. In 2

    2 Chronicles 20 chapter mention

  467. Chronicles chapter 20, there is a... a king by

  468. the name of Jehoshaphat, and he's in a tight

  469. place. There's some armies that have gotten together,

  470. and they're wanting to make war against him,

  471. and they're praying and interceding. Actually,

  472. he gets all the people of Judah together, and

  473. they start praying and going before the Lord

  474. to pray, and they start interceding. The kids,

  475. everybody was in intercession, and as that was

  476. happening, the Spirit of the Lord came on a man

  477. by the name of Jehaziel. Listen to it in chapter

  478. 14. Then the Spirit of the Lord. This is 2 Chronicles

    2 Chronicles 20:14–17

  479. 20, verse 14 through 17. Then the Spirit of the

  480. Lord came on Jehaziel, the son of Zechariah,

  481. the son of Benaniah, the son of Jeel, the son

  482. of Methaniah, a Levite, a descendant of Asaph.

  483. So he's a descendant of a Levite. He's a descendant

  484. of musicians. He's also a descendant of Benaniah,

  485. who is the firstborn of Samson. So he comes with

  486. a prophetic legacy. Samson was an intercessor.

  487. A prophet who would intercede. And here is this

  488. descendant of him now generations later. As he

  489. stood in the assembly. In verse 15 he says. He

  490. said listen King Jehoshaphat. And all who live

  491. in Judah and Jerusalem. This is what the Lord

  492. says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

  493. Because of this vast army. For the battle is

  494. not yours but God's. Tomorrow march down against

  495. them. They will be climbing up by the pass of

  496. Ziz. And you will find them at the end of the

  497. gorge. In the desert of Jerel. You'll find them

  498. at the wilderness. You'll find them in that valley.

  499. You'll find them in that place. And you will

  500. not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions.

  501. Stand firm. Somebody say stand firm. See the

  502. deliverance of the Lord will give you. Judah

  503. and Jerusalem, do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.

  504. Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will

  505. be with you. If you dare to confront your enemies

  506. in the valley, God will be with you. Because

  507. God wants to use even your enemies to train you

  508. into a mighty warrior. In 1 Kings chapter 20,

    1 Kings 20 chapter mention

  509. listen to this. 1 Kings chapter 20, and we'll

    1 Kings 20 chapter mention

  510. move along here with the scriptures. 1 Kings

    1 Kings 20:22–23

  511. 20, verse 22 through 23, and then we'll jump

  512. into verse 28. It says, Afterwards the prophet

  513. came to the king of Israel and said, Strengthen

  514. your position. This was after a great war that

  515. they had had. Strengthen your position. Strengthen

  516. your position and see what must be done. Because

  517. next spring, the king of Aram will attack you

  518. again. Here's this prophet giving the king instructions.

  519. Next spring is coming and that's the time when

  520. kings go to war, the Bible says. You better get

  521. ready because the enemy is going to come back

  522. to attack you. Meanwhile, the officials of the

  523. king of Aram advised him, their gods are gods

  524. of the hills. That is why they were too strong

  525. for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely

  526. we will be stronger than day. And listen to what

  527. God answered. The man of God came up and told

  528. the king of Israel. This is what the Lord says.

  529. Because the Arameans think the Lord is the God

  530. of the hills and not the God of the valleys.

  531. I will deliver this vast army into your hands

  532. and you will know that I am the Lord. Come on.

  533. Can somebody say he's the God of the valley?

  534. Can I tell you it's easy to fight in the mountaintops.

  535. When everything is going great and when you're

  536. on the top of the hill, man, the enemy tries

  537. to come at you and you have the advantage because

  538. you're sitting on the top of the hill. It's hard

  539. to take you when you're on the top of the hill.

  540. But when you're on the same plane, when you're

  541. in that valley place, that's a whole different

  542. story. You've got to be trained to fight in the

  543. valley. And I believe that God is wanting to

  544. raise prophetic intercessors who are experts

  545. of the valley. Experts in being trained. They've

  546. walked through the valley. It's the very things

  547. of the valley that have made them sensible to

  548. hear the voice of God, who have honed their senses

  549. in fine -tuning them, synchronized them with

  550. the voice from the throne room of God. The valley

  551. is going to teach you a few things. If you're

  552. there, learn it. God will speak to you and train

  553. you in the valley. I believe that God wants to

  554. do a powerful thing in this church, but he's

  555. training you. He's training and he's speaking.

  556. The valley is the place where you wait for that

  557. word from God. Thank God, Jehaziel had a word

  558. for King Jehoshaphat. It was King Jehoshaphat

  559. in that same chapter, you'll find him saying,

  560. believe God and be established, believe in his

  561. prophets and so shall you prosper. Verse 20,

  562. you'll find it later. But it is the Lord. So

  563. the man of God came and said, hey, the Arameans

  564. got this idea that he's the God of the hills

  565. and that you won the last war because... They

  566. fought you on the hills. And God who hears everything.

  567. He heard the king's advisor tell him. If you

  568. fight them in the valley. He's not the God of

  569. the valleys. Their gods are the gods of the hill.

  570. God said watch this. He said word get ready.

  571. Because he's going to fight in the valley now.

  572. Man I'm telling you. He's the God of the valleys.

  573. He's the God of the hills. And he's the God of

  574. the valley. He's the God of the whole earth.

  575. Can you say amen? Can you give God a praise offering

  576. in here? Can you clap your hands to the God of

  577. the valley? When you're in the valley, he's not

  578. left you. Well, you can't see him. You can't

  579. feel him. You don't know where he's at. But he's

  580. there with you. He's in the valley. He's accompanying

  581. you. He's training you. He's watching you as

  582. a warrior. You're just entered boot camp when

  583. you're entering to the valley. But that's where

  584. God shapes the greatest warriors. That's where

  585. he fights. And he fights for you. He'll show

  586. up in the valley and deliver you. If you learn

  587. what he needs you to learn. He'll come through

  588. for you and bring you into a place of victory.

  589. So the prophet came and said strengthen your

  590. position. Get ready. And I believe that. God

  591. wants to give a strategy to this church in this

  592. new season. Even to the leaders of this house.

  593. I believe God's going to speak because you can't

  594. do things the way you used to do them. I believe

  595. God has a whole new level for this church to

  596. go to. And there's a new strategy that God wants

  597. to give. Don't be afraid to implement. Prepare

  598. yourself. Position yourself. Look at your neighbor

  599. and say, position yourself. Come on, get ready

  600. for a fight. Position yourself to defend. Position

  601. yourself to fight in the valley. So we're going

  602. through the valley, but we're going to fight

  603. our way out of the valley. And I believe that

  604. prophetic intercessors know that the valley is

  605. a prophecy of yet another mountaintop. Listen,

  606. a valley isn't a valley without its being surrounded

  607. with mountains. When you're in the valley, you

  608. need to remember. I'm coming through out of here

  609. and there's another mountain waiting for me to

  610. scale it. This is training so I can climb the

  611. next mountain where my vision is going to expand

  612. it again and I'm going to see further than I've

  613. ever seen because I've come through some things.

  614. My perspective is going to change. And I believe

  615. that God wants to cause every valley in your

  616. life to be a prophecy, an announcement of God

  617. that says to you, get through this valley because

  618. I'm taking you to a higher plateau. I'm taking

  619. you to a higher place. I'm going to show you

  620. some things you've never seen. This mountain

  621. is higher than the last one you went through.

  622. Are you ready? Come on. Listen, in 1 Samuel chapter

    1 Samuel 7 chapter mention

  623. 7 speaks about Samuel the prophet who was a judge

  624. in Israel but he was also a prophet and he was

  625. an intercessor. In 1 Samuel chapter 7 verses

    1 Samuel 7:5–6

  626. 5 through 6 says. Then Samuel said assemble all

  627. Israel at Mizpah. And I will intercede with the

  628. Lord for you. I will what? Intercede with the

  629. Lord for you in Mizpah. And when they had assembled

  630. at Mizpah. They drew water and poured it out

  631. before the Lord. On that day they fasted a day.

  632. And there they confessed. We have sinned against

  633. the Lord. Now Samuel was serving as a leader.

  634. Of Israel. At Mishpah. And I think it's important

  635. for us to look at that. Because. And this is

  636. not on the slide. So if you can take it down.

  637. That word Mishpah. The name of that place. Is

  638. Watchtower. Interesting. It's a city. In the

  639. district. Of Shephah. In the lowlands of Judah.

  640. It was in the plains. It was in the valley. Mishpah.

  641. And it was there when Samuel said. I'm going

  642. to go intercede at Mizpah. Meet me there. He

  643. knew exactly where intercessors do their best

  644. work. It's in the valley. Anybody can pray when

  645. they're in the mountaintop. But can you intercede?

  646. Can you still stand in the gap? Can you still

  647. believe God? Can you still break through in intercession

  648. in the valley? It's when you don't want to pray

  649. because you can't see the other side. You can't

  650. see the light. You can't see what's coming. Discouragement

  651. wants to set into your life because you're in

  652. the valley. But I want you to know that in the

  653. valley is where God shapes you so that you know

  654. how to overcome discouragement so you don't become

  655. a victim of discouragement. It's one of the tools

  656. of the enemy. If he can discourage you, he will

  657. keep you distracted. He will mess you up every

  658. time. And you'll set your attention on other

  659. things. You'll get tired. You'll throw in the

  660. towel. You know how many leaders. How many pastors

  661. never make it to the end. How many men with great

  662. callings of God. How many women who have been

  663. called to do great exploits for God. Have never

  664. accomplished their will. As a pastor of 28 years.

  665. I can tell you. I've got prophecies still in

  666. my files. Of people who never made it. People

  667. who never fulfilled what the prophet said. Was

  668. God lying about them? Were the prophets wrong?

  669. When two or three prophets among them. Prophet

  670. Bob Isabel. Who build our house with the word

  671. of the Lord. And came off into our church and

  672. prophesied. While others heard it. And learned

  673. what they needed to learn. God went through the

  674. valley. God put them through the test. Listen

  675. the word of the Lord is tried in the furnace

  676. of the earth seven times. How many think that's

  677. a valley experience? You get a word. And you

  678. cry when you receive it. But that's the beginning

  679. of your crying. You're going to go through. the

  680. test. You're going to go through the valley.

  681. God's got to purify his word in you. He's got

  682. to make it flesh out in your life. And now you're

  683. going to have to be walking in the word. Not

  684. just thinking about it, memorizing it. But you're

  685. going to have to become that word. You're going

  686. to have to live like what God said. And that

  687. happens at Mishma, at the watchtower, at that

  688. place of intercession. At that place where God

  689. wants to meet you. 1 Samuel chapter 7 verse 7

    1 Samuel 7:7–9

  690. through 9 continues. And when the Philistines

  691. heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah. The

  692. rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them.

  693. Came up to attack them. And when the Israelites

  694. heard of it. They were afraid because of the

  695. Philistines. They said to Samuel. Do not stop

  696. crying out to the Lord our God for us. That he

  697. may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.

  698. And then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed

  699. it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He

  700. cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf and

  701. the Lord answered him. Intercession will call

  702. for you to sacrifice, for you to expend yourself.

  703. And he put a sacrifice before the Lord and called.

  704. Some people just want other people to pray them

  705. through. But I believe God's in the New Testament

  706. church, in this New Testament era, era of grace,

  707. where you now need to come through. He's not

  708. just sending a prophet that will pray you through

  709. and prophesy you through your storm. I believe

  710. God wants to shape your character and turn you

  711. into a prayer warrior, turn you into an intercessor

  712. that's trained in the valley so that you can

  713. come through and you can break through. Come

  714. on. Look at your neighbor and say to them, are

  715. you learning something? Because God wants to

  716. train you how to break out of your desert. How

  717. to get through it and learn everything that you

  718. must learn. So Samuel offered that sacrifice

  719. and listen to what happened. Verse 10, while

  720. Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. While

  721. he was offering it up to God, I want to tell

  722. you, when you become that prophetic intercessor

  723. in the valley, you're in the valley, don't stop

  724. your worship in the valley. Keep worshiping God.

  725. As you offer up worship, God will go to fight

  726. for you. Even in that story of Jehoshaphat, you

  727. know who was sent first? It was the singers and

  728. the musicians that went first. It was the choir.

  729. Send the choir first. Send the singers. The Lord

  730. is good and his mercy endures forever. They were

  731. empty. the valley against a surmountable army.

  732. But God said, it's my fight. Just sing. Just

  733. praise. I'm going to show up in the valley and

  734. bring your victory. I thank God for a worshiping

  735. church that I'm preaching to tonight. I pray,

  736. I believe God that you're going to worship. The

  737. presence of God is going to come down and fight

  738. your fights. God will show up in your valley.

  739. He'll show. I don't care what you're going through.

  740. I don't care what people are saying about you

  741. personally, about you corporately. What counts

  742. is what God has said about you. What counts,

  743. what makes a difference is not that you hear

  744. the discouraging words that the enemy is trying

  745. to send, the accusations and the false things

  746. that he's trying to raise. What did God say?

  747. What has God spoken? Did you hear what God had

  748. to say? Did you put more emphasis on the words

  749. of man than the words of God? Did you treat the

  750. word of God like the word of God? Almighty. Or

  751. do you just think it's just another man? God

  752. sovereignly moves here prophetically and he uses

  753. men that you don't even know. They don't know

  754. you. And they call you out and give you a word.

  755. Read your mail. And tell you about the future,

  756. tell you about your past, your present, and your

  757. future. Because it all comes together in the

  758. throne room. And when you can ascend through

  759. prophetic intercession, you can bring a word

  760. that will change people's lives. While Samuel

  761. was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines

  762. drew near to engage Israel in battle. I don't

  763. care how close your enemy gets, get ready, because

  764. God's going to rescue you. But that day... The

  765. Lord's thunder with loud thunder against the

  766. Philistines. And threw them into such a panic.

  767. That they were routed before the Israelites.

  768. The man of Israel rushed out of Mizpah. Somebody

  769. say out of Mizpah. Come on are you ready to rush

  770. out of the desert. Out of the wilderness. Out

  771. of the plain. Out of the valley. There's a time

  772. when God shows up. That's the time when you rush

  773. out. I'm going to break out. Somebody say I'm

  774. breaking out of my wilderness. Then the men of

  775. Israel rushed out of Mishpah and pursued the

  776. Philistines, slaughtering them along the way

  777. to the point below Bethkar. They rushed out.

  778. Of the wilderness. And I believe God will show

  779. up every time in the wilderness. He'll allow

  780. the enemy to get so close. You'll look like you're

  781. going to lose it all. Your disaster is pending

  782. on you. The enemy is laughing at you. But God

  783. get ready for the thunder of heaven to come.

  784. God will show up. He'll use all of heaven. Will

  785. work on your behalf. Angels will be dispatched.

  786. And before you know it. You're breaking out of

  787. Mishpah. Chasing your enemy. Get ready to break

  788. out. Listen, give somebody a high five and say,

  789. get ready to break out. Get ready to break out

  790. of Mishpah. Get ready to break out of the valley.

  791. Get ready to chase your enemy. Verse 12 through

  792. 13 of the same chapter. Samuel took a stone and

  793. set it up between Mishpah and Shem. And he named

  794. it Ebenezer. Saying, thus far the Lord has helped

  795. us. So the Philistines were subdued and they

  796. stopped invading Israel's territory throughout

  797. Samuel's lifetime. And the hand of the Lord was

  798. against the Philistines through his entire lifetime.

  799. How many think Samuel was a tough dude? He was

  800. an intercessor, a prophetic intercessor who knew

  801. what to do. He knew when to do it. He waited

  802. till the enemy was there and then he began to

  803. sacrifice. He said, let's meet them in the valley.

  804. I want you to meet me in the valley. That's where

  805. God fights the best. That's where God wants to

  806. train us in faith. I believe God wants to raise

  807. your faith to another level in him. I believe

  808. that he's doing a work so deep in your life that

  809. he wants to bring you into a place, into a place

  810. where you understand. That you've gotten here

  811. not by your own strength. But because he has

  812. helped you. He's helped you through the valley.

  813. You've got through the valley. Some of you are

  814. just coming in. But this is not going to last

  815. forever. Though they walk through the valley

  816. of shadow and of death. Your rod and your staff

  817. shall comfort me. That's what the psalmist said.

  818. Though I walk through the valley of shadow and

  819. death. Somebody say walk through. That's right.

  820. Don't camp there. Don't live there. You were

  821. meant to walk through it. You were meant to get

  822. to the other side with a declaration that says,

  823. God has brought us this far. God did not bring

  824. you this far to leave you alone. He didn't bring

  825. you this far to take you back again. He used

  826. to sing a song like that at the church. He hasn't

  827. brought us this far to take us back again. He

  828. brought us in. He took us out to take us in to

  829. the promised land. Amen? I believe God has brought

  830. you this far. I believe you're here at this place.

  831. Don't make light of it. Look around you. Look

  832. at the blessing that God has blessed this church

  833. with. He's brought you this far. You need to

  834. raise a memorial. These are memorial times. That's

  835. what Samuel did. He put a stone to be a memorial

  836. at Benazel and he named it a prophetic name.

  837. God has brought us to this point. He was testifying.

  838. I'm not here by my own strength. I didn't get

  839. here. Listen, I never would have made it through

  840. that desert. I never would have made it through

  841. that hard time and that experience. Some of you

  842. arrive tonight thinking that. You're thinking,

  843. I can't make it. I can't have somebody else hurt

  844. me. I can't have another disappointment. I'm

  845. broken. I can't take another wound. The hand

  846. of God met you tonight. I believe there was strength.

  847. ministered to you by the spirit of God as he

  848. was hovering over the worship through the songs

  849. that were sung through the ministry of the word

  850. the spirit of the Lord has been strengthening

  851. your life he's brought you to this place and

  852. he's not brought you here to fail he's not brought

  853. you here to die he's brought you here to take

  854. you all the way in to the fulfillment of your

  855. future if you believe that give God a hand and

  856. stand to your feet come on look at somebody and

  857. say it's your night You can break out. I know

  858. you've cried. I know you've wept. But it's your

  859. night. If you can believe God, you can break

  860. out and chase your enemies out. Out of the very

  861. wilderness. There'll be such strength that you'll

  862. run your enemies out of that land and show that

  863. God is the God of the mountains and He's the

  864. God of the valleys. The world needs to know that.

  865. They need to know when you're down and out and

  866. when things are not working out, that God is

  867. still God in your life. And that He's still worthy

  868. of praise. And that you still believe that things

  869. are going to change. Are you ready? Could you

  870. raise your hands to heaven and say, I'm ready.

  871. I want to be trained. I want to be a prophetic

  872. warrior. A valley warrior. I want to learn how

  873. to fight in a valley. Oh, David said, he trains

  874. my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He's

  875. the worshiper who is trained by God to do battle

  876. with worship. Listen, I believe that God wants

  877. to train you for war. He wants to train you not

  878. against flesh and blood, but against principalities

  879. and powers of the earth. And there are spirits

  880. over this region, over Harrisburg, that have

  881. held Harrisburg down. Principalities of... Darkness

  882. that have come and depleted families for ages.

  883. History after history to years after years. Just

  884. because it's a plane. Demons have thought this

  885. valley belongs to the enemy. But I'm here to

  886. say it does not. He's the God of Harrisburg.

  887. He's the God of the valley. He's the God who

  888. will show up in this plane. Show off with his

  889. power. Raise families and great men. Some of

  890. the greatest men of God can be born in this city.

  891. Some of the greatest women, some of the greatest

  892. songwriters might be on this platform right now.

  893. Some of the greatest prophets will be raised.

  894. Some of the greatest leaders will take cities.

  895. Missionaries that the world has not seen. Full

  896. of compassion and mercy. Broken people who have

  897. been there and who can minister on the broken

  898. people. Who have answers for the hurting and

  899. the downcast because you know what it is to be

  900. downcast. Because you experienced the pain. You

  901. made the mistakes. You failed. But you got up

  902. again. God brought you out. Come on, somebody.

  903. Somebody say, that's me. He restored me. I was

  904. down and out. I didn't think I could get back

  905. up again. But he raised me up again. I'm here.

  906. I made my mistakes. But I'm here, God. I'm ready

  907. to worship. I want to be trained up in valley

  908. warfare. I want to learn how to fight in the

  909. valley. I want to fight my way out of the valley.

  910. I want to chase my enemies out of the valley.

  911. Show that God is the God of the valleys. Listen.

  912. We've opened up this altar over and over again.

  913. And I so thank God that you're a people of the

  914. altar. That you just come up seeking for God.

  915. Some of you have been going through some real

  916. deep waters. Some valleys. Some dry places. Step

  917. out of your aisle for a moment. Give God a few

  918. more minutes to work on you. Would you just come

  919. and worship him here? Come to the front and just

  920. for a moment, just thank him. In the midst of

  921. your trouble, maybe you haven't been broken out

  922. yet. Maybe you're still there. Maybe there's

  923. some real trouble lurking over you, some menacing

  924. words of the enemy, financial distress on your

  925. life. The bankers are menacing you. Just come

  926. on. Say, God, take up. Take up. Lord, take up

  927. my fight. Lord, I'm here to worship you. I'll

  928. worship you. I'll position myself. I believe

  929. it's the greatest position you can take. At the

  930. feet of Jesus. At the presence of the Lord. The

  931. worship team is going to lead us in a song. And

  932. as you're here, just worship right here in this

  933. place. Watch what God will do. I believe there's

  934. a release of the Holy Spirit. I believe there's

  935. a healing that's going on right now. I believe

  936. that right now by the Spirit, you're going to

  937. find a victory. Come in your spirit. You're going

  938. to leave in a different way than you came. You're

  939. going to leave with a spirit of victory and power.

  940. You're going to say, God, I'm a survivor. I'm

  941. not dead. I might be going through it, but I'm

  942. a survivor. You brought me this far. I'm not

  943. going to die. I'm going to live. Devil, watch

  944. out. I'm still alive. Somebody's going to have

  945. to cry out. I'm a survivor! Come on, is there

  946. somebody out there? will be released to this

  947. house. The Lord will cause honor to come. Even

  948. when the enemy says, I will dishonor you. I'm

  949. going to honor you. Even when the enemy has said,

  950. I'll dry your provision up. The Lord says, I'm

  951. going to multiply your provision. I'm going to

  952. cause your provision not to cease. I'm going

  953. to create pools of water in the desert. In the

  954. hard time, I'm going to cause rain to come down

  955. in this place. I'm going to rain blessing. I'm

  956. going to open the heaven on you. And I'm going

  957. to rain blessing on your family. I'm going to

  958. rain blessing on your children. I'm going to

  959. rain blessing on this house. I'm going to cause

  960. my spirit to come upon you and strengthen you.

  961. You need a financial miracle, raise your hand.

  962. You just need a financial miracle. I mean, all

  963. of us can use finance, but you need a miracle.

  964. Not just the finances to get you past another

  965. week. You need a miracle from God. Lord, I release.

  966. You see the hands of people all over this place

  967. who are standing as a testimony. You're the God

  968. of heaven. Lord. You speak and you do. I prophesy,

  969. oh God. You do nothing unless you reveal it to

  970. the prophets. Lord, you're going to open up heaven

  971. on this family. You're going to see provision.

  972. Finances pour out. Heaven opened up. Buckets

  973. of blessing be poured out in the name of Jesus.

  974. Financial restitution. Financial restoration.

  975. Financial liberty. your people. If they have

  976. need of Lord, provide for them. Provide beyond

  977. that which they need of. Lord, and take them

  978. to that next place. Save their businesses. Save

  979. their investments. Save. Lord God, that which

  980. you've given. If you've brought them this far,

  981. you're not brought them this far to dishonor

  982. them. You brought them this far to take them

  983. in all the way. Somebody say all the way. Come

  984. on. Look at somebody and say I'm going all the

  985. way. Let's worship the Lord.