From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Below is a potent vision Bob Jones had about "dread champions" being trees of righteousness who stand up against the enemy and champion God's cause. We've also included an excerpt by Bobby Conner about dread champions arising, which was previously posted on the Elijah List. I recommend that you read them both – they go hand-in-hand in this hour. Wow, I can't wait to see all the dread champions in action!
Bob Jones:
Trees of Righteousness:
Dread Champions Who Champion His Cause
Recently the Lord showed me great trees that touched Heaven in their time. The Lord cut them down and made pulpwood out of them. Then they were put into press and made into scrolls. The Bible is their testimony. They were "dread champions" in their times; they championed the cause for the Lord. They left a great inheritance for us, because without us they couldn't be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:39-40 AMP And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised, because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].
The Holy Spirit is calling for those who would champion His cause now to grow up and touch Heaven and champion His cause in their lifetime. These are the dread champions that will stand up against the enemy like these mighty champions of the past did in their time.
They left us a legacy! Now let us take up our cross and follow Him beginning where these dread champions left off.
Psalm 12:1 AMP HELP, LORD! For principled and godly people are here no more; faithfulness and the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.
Their lives are now scrolls written in the Word of God for our instruction.
The Lord is raising up other dread champions to champion his cause like David. He was a dread champion.
Psalm 89:19-20 AMP Once You spoke in a vision to Your devoted ones and said, "I have endowed one who is mighty [a hero, giving him the power to help – to be a champion for Israel]; I have exalted one chosen from among the people. I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him."
The Lord Asked Me to Ask for Three Things
July 3, 1984, the Lord visited me for half an hour. He asked me to pray Scripture to Him and ask for three things. The Lord said He would answer them in that order.
1. The first thing I prayed was Psalm 12:1 (above).
2. The second thing I prayed for was help for the Church to overcome their unbelief so that their faith would not fail.
3. The third thing I prayed for was power.
I believe that we have already seen the Lord answer the first two things I had prayed for. Now we are getting ready for the third answer to take place.
Bob and Bonnie Jones
The Prophetic Ministry of Bob and Bonnie Jones
To contact Bob Jones send your inquiry to:
Bob and Bonnie Jones Ministries
White Horses Publishings
P.O. Box 838
Pineville, NC 28134-0838
Bobby Conner:
REPOST: Dread Champions Arise to Contend and Defend! We are Now in the Age of the Great Harvest!
Dread Champions, Arise!
Do you hear the battle alarm? It is ringing loud and clear! We are entering a very serious season—a season of confrontation. Our lukewarm "business as usual" attitude must die. The Spirit of God is awakening and arousing the Church, prompting us to arise and take a strong stand for Divine Truth. The war is raging and we must prepare for battle.
Meditate on this clear warning in Romans 13:11-14—and begin to declare this over your life and the life of this nation:
Besides this you know what (a critical) hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah). The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop (fling away) the works and deeds of darkness and put on the (full) armor of light.
Let us live and conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly as in the (open light of) day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy. But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for (indulging) the flesh (put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature) to (gratify its) desires (lusts).
Now is the time for the Body of Christ to be bold, brave and extremely courageous, combating the spirit of this age.
How will this happen? First, we are to "make no provision" for darkness. We're called to violently "fling away" quarrels, jealousies and any hint of immorality, to make absolutely NO provision for the flesh. The Lord has raised the standard of holiness to the highest levels of perfection.
Next, we are to not only resist in a defensive posture—but we are also to be on the offensive for our King. We are not called to live passive, quiet lives in the midst of evil giants; on the contrary, we are to actively arise and violently drive giants out into the open, exposing wickedness and defeating it through His mercy and grace, for God's glory. Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:12:
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force."
We are called to take the promised land of the Kingdom by force—without compromise or retreat. This war between King Jesus and His enemies of this world is going to be much, much more militant than we expected and we must prepare as serious soldiers of the Cross. Don't misunderstand me—our weapons are not knives and guns, bombs and bullets, but eternal weapons of power: Zechariah 4:6 states that victory is won "not by might nor by (our human) power, but (only) by My Spirit (of the Lord)."
Never forget it is by the Holy Spirit that we are empowered for action—but we need to come into agreement with the Spirit through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, purity, revelation of the Word of God, faith working through love and, above all, radical, unquestioned obedience. These are the characteristics of God's "dread champions."
We are champions because we have overcome the world by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony; we are dread champions because we consider not our lives unto death. This level of radical obedience produces Believers who will truly follow the Lamb wherever He goes—no matter the consequences.
This is the nature of a hero—and God is calling for spiritual heroes in this hour. The word heroism speaks of bravery and fearlessness. Heroes fight not for themselves, but for their King's honor, their country's honor, a greater honor than their own acclaim. These qualities of selfless valor are not born of the flesh, however. We cannot exert our will and abilities to become a dread champion. On the contrary: our heroism is in direct proportion to our yielding to Christ, the one true Hero. Only as we yield to the Holy Spirit will we be equipped to display these outstanding qualities of God's champions.
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