The Warrior Bride

Every once in a while there are prophetic words written to the body of Christ too good not to share. This is one of them. I pray the following word is a blessing that will both encourage and excite you to arise as His Warrior Bride. We know from scripture that when God repeats Himself He intends for us to pay attention to what He is saying. In light of this knowledge, Isaiah 61 is showing up in a large number of places: devotional readings, messages from ministers, prophetic words, personal conversations, and more. It wouldn't hurt for each of us to learn these verses and seek God personally for what HE is saying to each one of us individually, and corporately.  In Christ's love, Abundantly Blessed   "Heads Up! A Vision and Revelation for the Warrior Bride"  Ben R. Peters,  South Beloit, IL A Vision and Revelation of the Warrior Bride On the evening of February 8, 2016, God visited me with an unusual revelation regarding His plans to set free, empower, equip and beautify His Warrior Bride. It started while I was reading a news article on my computer. Next, I felt impressed to open my Bible and read what was in front of me from the book of Isaiah. Finally, I felt nudged to open my phone app Bible and read where I had last left off reading in the book of Luke. It was one news story, one Old Testament passage and one New Testament passage, and they were like a three-fold cord, speaking the same message, loud and clear. The news story was about Yazidi women, who had been captured and sold as sex slaves to ISIS fighters. Many of them escaped, thanks partially to US airstrikes in the region, and have since chosen to train themselves to fight their former ISIS captors. Here are a few quotes from the Fox News article: "Some 2,000 Yazidi women who were captured in the brutal August 2014 attack on their mountain stronghold have escaped and have taken up arms against their former tormentors. Driven by the fresh memories of unspeakable atrocities and the survival of their people, hundreds have signed up to fight the black-clad terrorist army." "Now we are defending ourselves from the evil; we are defending all the minorities in the region," Capt. Khatoon Khider told FoxNews.com. "We will do whatever is asked of us."   Of the number of Yazidi women who have been trained and are fighting alongside their male counterparts, Khider is one of 123. Their ages range from 17 to 37, and there are at least another 500 awaiting their training. "Women were throwing their children from the mountains and then jumping themselves because it was a faster way to die," Khider said. "Our hands were all tied. We couldn't do anything about it. "Our elite force is a model for other women in the region," she said. "We want to thank all the other countries who help us in this difficult time, we want everyone to take up weapons and know how to protect themselves from the evil." After reading this story, I opened my Bible to Isaiah 52 and immediately read: Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bond of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! Isaiah 52:2 After a little meditation on this verse and the verses before and after, I felt nudged to read from my Bible app on my phone. Here's the story which followed where I had last left off reading: And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. Luke 13:11-13 In verse 14, we are told the ruler of the synagogue objected to Jesus healing on the Sabbath day. Jesus responds: "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound – think of it – for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" Luke 13:15-16 Fearless Fighters! I have been meditating on these three stories for several days, knowing that God was speaking a prophetic word to me for His Bride, His Church. I don't feel I have yet fully mined the prophetic treasure hidden in these stories, but this is what I know that God is speaking to us all: 1. We have a vicious enemy, who wants to victimize us, torment us and take away all hope of freedom or fulfillment of dreams or destinies. He wants to put chains around our neck, keep us bent over with our heads down and fill us with feelings of shame and worthlessness. 2. We have a God who loves us and has the power to set us free and rebuke every physical, spiritual and emotional spirit of infirmity. 3. Those who have suffered most under the diabolical enslavement of our evil enemy, will become the most determined and fearless fighters against him, in order to free others still living under his insidious control. Understanding the Problem The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few. The reason for that is that so many potential laborers are all bent over, feeling unusable to God because of either secret or not-so-secret spiritual, physical or emotional bondages. When people are all bent over and cannot lift their heads up, they will always be looking down. You don't get a great perspective on the future, when you can see nothing but dirt. Your eyes are not on the horizon or on the heavens. You are seeing nothing but the same old dirt day after day. The sex slaves in Iraq had been feeling like dirt every day that they were held captive. We can't imagine their anguish and sorrow, knowing family members had been murdered or tortured, etc., and that they have nothing to look forward to but being repeatedly raped by evil men. Like the Yazidi women, millions of Christians, and others who would become Christians, who would otherwise love to serve God and help bring in the harvest, are hopelessly held in chains of addiction to alcohol, drugs and sexual perversion. Others suffer the torment of depression, fear and anxiety, as well as many other forms of addiction. These bondages are real. They are not easily cured by people preaching at them or quoting trite slogans. They need a strong and anointed word and touch from Jesus, Himself, to break the chains that keep them in bondage. It was heart-breaking to hear the news during the New Hampshire primary season, about how many people were dying from drug overdoses in that state. It was of more concern, for many people, than the economy or personal security. Certainly, addictions are a powerful means of enslavement, both in the world and in the Church. Probably, the greatest addictions in the Church, especially among men, are the many forms of sexual addiction. The evil spirit of seduction is so emboldened in western society today, that its victims must continually find more perverted ways of expression. Like drug addiction, what was cutting-edge before is now too mild to adequately stimulate. The bondages of addictions are leading our culture into a death spiral. Understanding God's Powerful and Amazing Solution Yes, our enemy is bad to the bone and has a lot of things working for him today. BUT GOD!!! What God was and is speaking to me about this situation is this: "I AM RELEASING A FRESH ANOINTING ON ISAIAH 61 FOR MY CHURCH, MY BODY, ON THE EARTH." What Jesus read in His hometown synagogue about Himself, He is now proclaiming from Heaven and pouring out the anointing oil on His own Body, His Church. Here is the passage the Holy Spirit is highlighting to me right now: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion. To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the old ruins; They shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-4 This was the job description the Father gave to Jesus to fulfill on His mission to Planet Earth. He faithfully fulfilled His Father's assignment. Today, Jesus is giving us, His Body on the earth, the same job description. But He is not asking us to do it in our own giftings, or our own strength. No, He is pouring out the same Holy Spirit on us today, that was poured into Him at His baptism. We, His Church, His Body and His Bride, will feel that surge of supernatural energy within our spirits to take down principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. We will not do this in foolish presumption, but together with other members of His Body, we will hear His voice, feel His anointing power, and proclaim, touch and break chains.   As we begin to bring freedom to those both inside and outside the Church, we will observe the "fearless passion of those who have been liberated". They will boldly enlist in the army of the Lord. They will learn how to use spiritual weapons of warfare, which are not carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). They will take the power of freedom to those still enslaved by the chains of bondage and there will be an incredible domino effect created. We are about to see this unfold over the next couple of years. The power of the testimony of delivered people cannot be overestimated. Since satan has done such a thorough job of bringing people into captivity, it creates an amazing opportunity for those who bring keys to unlock their prison doors. Captives will be crying out for their own freedom when they hear the testimony of others. The result will be countless conversions to Christ. Hope will arise and the excitement will spread like a prairie fire in dry stubble. Our Assignment We must cooperate with God in this strategic plan to prepare His harvesters. So what must we then do? 1. Humble ourselves before God, confessing our need for His touch and His anointing. 2. Read the passages quoted in this article over and over, and if possible, memorizing them. 3. Pray earnestly for the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit to be empowered in our lives. 4. Pray for and diligently seek for unity in the Body of Christ, for His sake. 5. Identify our own bondages, small or great, and present them before God. 6. For purposes of prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to identify bondages in others, whom you want to experience freedom. 7. Commit to obey God, no matter what He asks you to do, and listen to His still small voice. 8. Lift up your head and look forward to your future in His Kingdom! I also hear God speaking to me now as I write: "Fear not! There is nothing that can separate you from My love and protection, as long as you abide under the shadow of My wing. I don't just want to use you to build My Kingdom, I want to know you intimately and for you to know Me, that I am a God who is full of compassion, love and mercy. Your sins, which you have confessed to Me, are hidden in the Sea of Forgetfulness, never to be remembered again. I did this for you. Now, I'm asking you to share this good news with others, so they too can know My goodness."   Isaiah 61:4 talks about restoring and rebuilding what was destroyed in former generations. I believe we will see that both in the Church and in the life of our society. The Church will be restored to the place of intimacy, unity and love that was so manifest in the early Church. For America and other nations, who once had a Biblical foundation, there is coming a reformation and restoration to Biblical values, which will change all mountains of society. May God help us to cooperate fully with His plans and may we be blessed to see it fulfilled in our day. Amen! HEADS UP, EVERYONE! Ben R. Peters Kingdom Sending Center Email: ohmint@gmail.com Website: www.kingdomsendingcenter.org Ben and Brenda Peters have said "YES" to the call of God to challenge, equip, and send dedicated lovers of Jesus into the harvest fields of the earth, including the seven mountains of society. Together they have ministered to tens of thousands of individuals in several countries of the world. After establishing and serving churches and Christian schools for almost thirty years, they began a traveling ministry in September 1999 under the name Open Heart Ministries. This ministry consisted mainly of speaking, teaching, preaching, and prophesying in conferences, camps, retreats, churches, ministry schools, and homes. More recently, they also founded an Illinois-based ministry called Kingdom Sending Center after hearing a clear word from God during a Heidi Baker meeting in Chicago. Ben began writing revelatory books in 2000, and has published 23 of them since then. His newest book is THE KINGDOM BUILDING CHURCH – Experiencing the Explosive Potential of the Church in Kingdom Building Mode. Ben and Brenda now live near Sacramento, California, close to most of their five children and twelve grandchildren. 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