From the desk of Steve Shultz:
God is moving across the nations...and I sure like hearing what He's saying and doing worldwide. This is a prophetic word for Europe, focusing on the Netherlands. We received this word from the Netherlands Prophetic Council in Europe who meet on an annual basis, seeking for the voice of God and His strategic plans over their land.
This is a great word for the Body to stand in agreement and unity across the globe no matter what country you live in. We're all in the army together and can lift each other up in prayer and intercession for God to move on each other's behalf.
Here are also a couple of great resources that will get you excited for what God is doing in His army and Kingdom:
Netherlands Prophetic Council:
Prophetic Directives for 2010—The Year of the Mobilization of the Body of Christ in Europe
Arleen Westerhof |
Intro by Arleen Westerhof, Facilitator:
On Wednesday, November 11, 2009, the members of the Netherlands Prophetic Council came together to present the words which God had spoken to them—for the Netherlands for 2010.
We do this annually because:
• God does nothing without first revealing it to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). If the Scriptures make anything clear, it is that God desires to reveal His heart to us and what He wants to do.
• A collective word often carries more authority and gives a more complete picture of what God desires to do than a word brought by a single individual.
• If we know which areas God wants to move in we can partner with Him more effectively by initiating new projects in these areas.
This document is a compilation of these words.
The words were tested before publication by prophets both inside and outside of the Netherlands. We especially want to thank Dr. Sharon Stone and Stacey Campbell for being willing to be part of this process.
We are aware of the prophecies from other parts of the world which refer to global famine and other natural and manmade disasters. Amidst all of this however, there is a unique window of opportunity for Europe and for the Netherlands that we cannot afford to miss. As such, we have chosen to focus on topics related to this window of opportunity.
This year we have included prayer points at the end of each theme. As you read these words, we ask you to pray for them regularly. We expect that as you do, God will give you revelation as to what you can do to help advance His Kingdom in Europe and in the Netherlands.
With thanks to the members of the Netherlands Prophetic Council,
Arleen Westerhof
Facilitator, Netherlands Prophetic Council
2010—The Year of the Mobilization
of the Body of Christ in Europe
At the beginning of 2009, God gave a vision of the Body of Christ lined up like an army on every continent of the earth. This was not the Body of Christ that we had been used to seeing. This army was composed of the young and the old, and of men and women, who were dressed and ready for battle. There were no injured among their ranks. Everyone knew what their assignment was and who they needed to follow. Everything was completely silent. It was obvious that they were waiting for something to happen.
All of a sudden, a trumpet sounded and the ground began to shake as the armies began to march forward. Nothing could stand in their path. They walked over the waters of the oceans, and they were unstoppable. Months later, some of us were present at a meeting in which we experienced the start of the fulfillment of this vision in Europe.
2010 will be the year in which we see the Body of Christ mobilized in Europe. Europe is currently the only continent on the earth without a major move of God. This is about to change.
God has prepared a people who will take His Kingdom into the world. It is a people who have Him as their first love, who are filled with compassion and acts of justice and who do not compromise. The strategies that He gives in this season will be used to bring the Netherlands and Europe back into line with His plans. In addition to "evangelism" and "remaining in the tent of intimacy," "occupation" and "taking the high places" will become important themes in the Body of Christ this year.
Prayer Points:
• That God will give divine strategies as to how to occupy and to take the high places in the arts, business, the media, politics, culture, education and religion.
• That God would cause His people to stand up and to start to execute these strategies.
The Church Awakening
One of the council members had a vision of the Church in the Netherlands. It looked like an old woman sitting on a park bench, bowed over and leaning on her walking stick. She's sleeping and is totally unaware of the violence, abuse, and injustice happening all around her. While she sleeps, ungodly foundations are being laid and structures are being erected. "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way" (Matthew 13:25).
We hear God saying, "The Sleeping Beauty is about to be kissed and awakened." The awakened Church will arise and shine as she brings the Kingdom of God into the world where it can be seen and experienced. To those who do this, God says, "You will see signs and wonders in a greater way than before, because the new wine is also for the world."
Prayer Points:
• That God would wake up the Church in the Netherlands.
• That God would raise up watchmen intercessors who are alert and who know how to intervene in prayer when the enemy tries to sow tares among the wheat.
• That God would give wisdom and strategies as to how to cut off the tares that have already been sown so that God's purposes for this season will not be contaminated, delayed or aborted.
• One of the tares that God is highlighting is that of "false unity." It is a unity based on being exclusive. God's heart is inclusive (Numbers 11:29). Beware of a heart attitude which says, "If you are not part of our group, then you are not part of what God is doing." God wants to use every denomination and stream in this season.
A New Visitation and a Window of Opportunity
God is starting to visit the Netherlands with His glory and with His fire. It's a new fire and a new visitation. It will not look like what we have known in the past. "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing" (Isaiah 43:18, 19). This will be a season of acceleration as the "plowman...overtakes the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed" (Amos 9:13).
The book of Jonah is significant. 2010 will be a year in which God offers Europe and the Netherlands a unique window of opportunity. The threat of judgment will be present because the cup of sin is full, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4). In many places however, judgment will be transformed into mercy as people respond and repent as the word of God is spoken—"So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them" (Jonah 3:5). God wants to pour out His mercy in places where we least expect it. This is good news!
Prayer Points:
• Continue to cry out to God for His visitation in this season.
• For repentance of sins both individually and collectively.
The Prayer Movement and
Large Scale Prayer Gatherings
If there ever was a time for us to humble ourselves and pray, it is now. Since the Netherlands is the door to continental Europe, there is more at stake than only our own interests. Several of us heard the Lord say that it is time to "consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land and cry out to the Lord" (Joel 2:15, 16).
Last year we prophesied that the momentum of the prayer movement in the Netherlands would increase. This is precisely what happened. This increase in momentum will continue into 2010 and will be evidenced by an increase in the number of mass prayer meetings as God's people humble themselves and come together to pray. Several of us heard God say that it is time for a "Call" in the Netherlands.
Prayer Points:
• That God would bless the initiatives being taken to organize large scale prayer events in 2010.
• That He would cause national leaders to be able to put aside their differences and work together.
Taking Responsibility in Warfare
and
Radical Worship
Even though we will start to see God's glory poured out in an unprecedented measure this year, that doesn't mean we won't have to fight. We have given away much ground to the enemy which will need to be retaken. We must learn to use our spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18).
The Commander of the army of the Lord is in the land. When He appeared to Joshua before the battle of Jericho, He didn't choose sides: "And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are you for us or for our adversaries?' So He said, 'No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come'" (Joshua 5:13b, 14). Instead, He brought it to Joshua's attention that God was present, "Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, 'Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.' And Joshua did so" (Joshua 5:15). Joshua's response of worship was the only appropriate response.
God is highlighting aggressive, spontaneous worship in which the glory of God and His Kingship are proclaimed over our nation(s) as an important weapon of warfare in 2010.
Prayer Points:
• That God would put worship and warfare back onto the agendas of His people.
• That God would raise up musicians and singers gifted with the ability to release a sound in worship that will push back the enemy and expand the Kingdom of God.
The Fear of the Lord and Holy Ghost Activism
The fear of the Lord will also be an important key in helping God's people overcome in 2010. The fear of the Lord will break the power of the fear in which many are caught up and imprisoned. The fear of the Lord will cause us to reverence God and His Word above all else. It will cause us to obey God even when to do so would be to our own harm (Acts 5:29). The fear of the Lord is an important key in defeating the spirit of Jezebel in many of our cities. It will lead to Holy Ghost activism as Believers stand up and speak out for what is right.
Prayer Points:
• That God would pour out the fear of the Lord on His people.
• That God would raise up a fearless generation who will offer divine solutions to societal problems and who speak out against injustice.
Amsterdam en Rotterdam
We believe that God is going to do surprising things in Amsterdam and in Rotterdam this year in the area of cooperation. This will be especially evident in joint projects between churches, the police corps in both cities and other government and non-governmental organizations.
Prayer Point:
• That God would end the enmity between these two cities.
Submitted by the members of
Netherlands Prophetic Council
Email: info@nederlandseprofetischeraad.org
The Netherlands Prophetic Council is comprised of church and ministry leaders from across the nation. Two or three times a year they organize conferences and other events related to seeing the Kingdom of God established in the Netherlands. In addition to this they come together annually to seek the Lord for what He wants to do there and across Europe. Their goal is to release the prophetic and to provide a platform where prophets from different denominations and streams can be encouraged, challenged and sharpened in the use of their prophetic gifting.