The Beginning of a New Kingdom Season Part 1– January 2013 By Mike McClung

The following is part of a larger article on what the Lord has been intimating to me for the coming season/years. The whole article will be posted on our website, lionheartministries.org, but we will be releasing each section as a smaller article each week for the next six weeks. May these articles, bless, challenge and encourage all. Mike McClung

At the end of October 2012 the Lord began to speak to me about certain aspects of this new and final season of restoration (Acts 3:21) that we are entering that will lead up to the return of the Lord Jesus. The following are “intimations” of what I believe the Lord is ordering to bring about the fullness of His purposes that will engage great conflict, but at the same time, bring great harvest in every dimension of our lives. One of my personal consternations at present is that there seems to be no clear, definitive “word of the Lord.” We all see through a glass darkly, but what is needed right now is a clear, powerful, authoritative word that will shake the body of Christ awake, bring true repentance and it’s spiritual fruit, and empower the body of Messiah to fully manifest His grace and glory that will be needed to overcome the powers of darkness.

Prophetic Intimations 2013 Intro

I'll be posting weekly/daily 2013 "Intimations" beginning next week. These are things I believe the Lord is indicating to me that will be beginning (and ending) over the next year(s). 

2012 marks the end of a transition time from the past season to a new, experiential kingdom season of restoration (Acts 3:19-21). This past 2-years season has been one of the bride of Christ enduring the "conscious" absence of His presence as spoken of in Song of Solomon 3:1-5. The old, comfortable ways and places of communion have been mostly empty as He is calling His bride to arise and surrender in obedience to His Lordship in a greater confinement to His will alone. This season of "darkness training" is coming to an end and this remnant bride will be coming out of the wilderness, leading on her Beloved (Song 3:6). The brokenness, dependency and yieldedness learned in this past season have been preparatory to becoming the living habitation (Tabernacle of David) in this next. More to follow beginning next week....

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The Father’s Ways By Mike McClung

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse (Mal. 4:5-6).

One of God’s primary purposes for raising up and restoring prophets and prophetic ministry in the church in these last days is to bring generations together.  This not only includes generations of old and young in the earth, but also joining past generations together with the current generation, who will complete their mandates and fulfill their purposes. (Hebrews 11:39-40.)  There are multi-generational promises, anointings, ministries, mantles and blessings held in a spiritual trust fund for the end-time generation that fully embraces the Lord in intimacy and obedience.  The prophetic or “forerunner” ministries in the earth today are called to heal the breach that exists not only between the age groups, but also between the “fathers” of the ages past and the current generation.  God calls for fathers-leaders to arise who will fully take hold of His promises and join hands with both the saints from ages past and the youth in the current age.  These fathers-leaders are called upon to take the first step in the process of restoration and deliverance.

Days of Decision, Preparing for Days of War

Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, 'I am strong.'" Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow-- for their wickedness is great." Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. - Joel 3:9-14

Believers are presently being exercised to make decisions, and not to have them made for us as children. We are faced with decisions that will have far-reaching and powerful effects and consequences now and in the ensuing weeks, months and years. To many, the Lord is seemingly silent. We have been, much like children, used to asking the Lord to do such-and-such for us, for others, etc. His silence is His answer that it's now time for us to make decisions based on our intimate knowledge of Him, His character, His ways, and the knowledge of the truth through the word and indwelling Spirit of God. It will take FAITH...true faith and not that which has been bantered around as something we use to get stuff from Him. It's the "faith of the Son of God" who dwells within us, Who is also seated at the right hand of God.

These decisions cannot be based on common sense, or what it is the most comfortable, the cheapest, or the best for us, according to "Americanized" Christianity. Decisions must be based on the knowledge of God and what is righteous and just according to His nature and His word. Grow-up time! These decisions are a form of spiritual warfare that, if made wisely, will release a greater faith, authority, maturity and provision. The first decision, according to the passage above, is to arise, shake off passivity, and surrender ourselves for the purpose of spiritual battle.

Making these decisions, especially going against normal reasoning, will be the first step in seeing successful warfare that will release a greater harvest than we've even seen. Successful decisions that are made now will be the result of choosing to seek His face in intimacy and obedience in the past season. Those without a track record of an intimate walk with God will find these times very difficult, but there is still great hope and mercy if we stop what we've been doing in the past season, and pray, fast and seek His face NOW!

Understanding the Battle By Mike McClung

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph. 6:12-13).

Satan is a terrorist and does not fight fairly.  Most of us discover firsthand that if you serve in Christian ministry you may be putting yourself at risk. Unless you are called and anointed by God to the area of service you serve in, and have counted the cost, you are literally taking your life in your hands.  If you have ever had a leadership role in a church or ministry, you know the difficulty that can arise from even Christ-loving people.  When the people who claim loyalty to you wrongfully use, betray, deceive, reject, abandon, and even subvert you and your ministry, they simply help you qualify to participate in this end-time battle to restore the ruins of people’s lives and release the inheritance of the Lord in the earth.

Spiritual Warfare - What Are We Fighting For? By Mike McClung

And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:7-8).

I used to believe this passage of scripture was metaphorical.  I do not believe this any longer in light of the realization of 24/7 houses of prayer arising all across the globe.  The restoration of the spirit of the Tabernacle of David (Acts 15:15-17; Amos 9:11-13) is literally being fulfilled in this generation.  Multi-generational companies of Christians are arising in many cities.  They yearn to see the vision, burden and calling of what is taking place around the throne of God (Rev. 4&5) established on earth as happened in King David’s day. (1 Chron. 16.)  A place for the glory of the Lord is being prepared in many geographic locations as the bride of Christ enters into the fullness of her priestly ministry and identity.  Once the priestly identity and ministry of the bride is restored, then the anointing of the Head will begin to flow over the entire body. (Psalm 133:1-3.) 

Joshua – Generations Joined/Generational Blessings Possessed By Mike McClung

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor. 2:9-12).

Limited vision produces limited people and limited fulfillment of purpose.  Mike Bickle, Director of Friends of the Bridegroom Ministries and the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, once told me that he believed that imparting vision was the key to dealing with rebellion and lack of discipline in the lives of God’s people.  I believe this is a profound insight.  We become what we behold: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18).  Anyone who has ever driven a car knows the feeling of something catching their attention off to one side of the road, only to look back to the front to see their vehicle swerving in the direction they had just been looking.  One of the tragic things that has happened to the bride of Christ, especially in western society, is the lack, or inconsistency, of leaders in the church focusing the vision of God’s people on the Person and purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ.