How Not To Miss the New Opportunities and Open Doors:
 Often the Lord will give dreams to show us how to pray
Acts 2:17 “You shall dream dreams and see visions….” See also Job 33:14-16; 1 Kings 3:15 “Then Solomon awoke and indeed it had been a dream…”
For a while I have been thinking about / meditating upon all the new opportunities that seem to be opening up all around us. Teddy and I are both 61 this year, but nothing around us suggests any sort of “slow-down.” We are well into the Hebrew New Year, and I am amazed at the new doors God has been showing us - doors that are starting to open at a time when the financial markets and economies are in a state of turmoil. To me, this is another sign of many new doors and opportunities. Jesus told us to “lift up our heads (which means to be alert, be expectant) because (these shakings simply indicate) our redemption (opportunities for the expansion of His Kingdom) are getting closer (Luke 21;28) (Note: The above parentheses are mine).
I know that we are on the verge of great breakthrough in many dimensions. I also know that God has spoken clearly and specifically about new strategies. Normally, to me this is very exciting. At the same time I began to get concerned. Perhaps it’s a function of the age I am, but I realized that I could very, very easily miss the opportunities and not take advantage of the open doors God is giving.
My question became “Lord, how do I fulfill that which You are giving me to do?” Interestingly, the Lord gave me a series of dreams over the last few days. Some of these dreams jolted me, others encouraged me. But I realized God was giving me a prayer agenda. I have shared this with our network pastors and now share it with you so you know how to pray for us. Also, I feel that this same prayer agenda will fit your personal circumstances and be a blessing for you.
Prayer Agenda for the Next Season:
• Pray for great expansion of our network. The Holy Spirit showed me in a dream that our Arise network would greatly expand, not just in Japan, but in many nations. We would go to a new level; a transition equivalent to that of moving from Economy class to Business class. This doesn’t depend upon us or our ability but is from the Lord and depends on His timing.
• Pray that we lose old identities and ways of working/ministry so we are not hindered to do the new things God has for us. In this dream, a strong wind was blowing and I lost my hat. I had worn this hat while working under an unfair boss. I ran to catch it, and then saw lots of hats and shoes flying. I realize there is now a strong wind of the Holy Spirit blowing. God wants me to lose my “old hat” of any self-identity of lack and loss, and put on His new identity of abundance and ability (Caleb said, “we are well able”(see Joshua 14)). Likewise, God wants us to replace the old shoes of hesitancy and fear, and replace that with boldness. Shoes refer to the ability to tread on the enemy, to get to the new places, and then to stand and successfully occupy them.
• Pray that we don’t bypass “new beginnings” God has for us. In this dream, I had been given permission to go to my room which was on the 8th floor, but the elevator would not stop there - it just kept going past the 8th floor! Of course the number eight refers to new beginnings. God has much in store for us, but naturally the enemy would love to use old, pre-conceived thinking (the elevator) to cause us to miss those “new beginnings.”
• Pray that we don’t lose heart and give up (and miss both the “increase” and breakthrough that is very close at hand). In this dream, my supervisor at work supervisor said, “We must keep on, and then the ‘dishonest’ boss will be exposed.” Someone said when we get understanding of how the enemy has robbed us we can then demand 7-fold return. Also, Teddy (who often represents God in my dreams) was working there too. Declare that God is right in the midst of your circumstances, that you will obtain understanding of how the enemy has robbed you, and that 7-fold multiplication would be released.
• Pray that leaders will hear the word of the Lord and move into new actions and thinking. In this dream I was preaching and prophesying in a large meeting in Tokyo. People were very excited about what I shared and prophesied. This shows that God has prepared us (the Apostolic-Prophetic people) for this time, and that we have what your nation needs and that those people are ready for it. In the dream, after I finished ministering, I was exhausted and sat down. The leader should have led the people in response to the prophecy. Instead, he went on to the next program and introduced a new speaker. Pray that we will not stop with just giving a word or prophecy, but that we would actually (and actively) receive strategies to help leaders shift into the “new” that God wants to bring.
I believe this is a prayer agenda for us for the next few months. Please pray with us as we pray with you!
Schedule:
November 12-21 Taipei, Taiwan
November 23 Arise HQ, Sano, Japan
November 24-30 Kaohsiung and Taichung,Taiwan
December 3-10 CI Korea
December 13 CI Japan, Tokyo
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