The prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 32:8 ... "Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord."

How did he know?  What was the criteria he used to judge the word (applies to dream, vision or sign as well)?  

The book of Jeremiah is loaded when it comes to a study on true prophets verses lying or false prophets.  Today I want to focus on only twp elements as it pertains to discerning a true word from the Lord.

Jeremiah 32:6 provides the context.  He heard the word of the Lord saying your Hanamel your cousin is going to come and say; "Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it."

When Hanamel came and did as the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah said then he was able to say, "Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord."

Discerning True Words of the Lord - Lesson 1

One of the criteria is; did the event occur as predicted? 

Years ago others recognized that God gave me a prophetic gift.  It has operated primarily in the realm of government (leaders, church, business).  One way this has been expressed is that sometimes God will give me a word for a leader.  Over the course of 25+ years I've received words that brought correction or restoration to a variety of leaders.  Some were removed and some restored.  My testimony is this, to date, I can say I have a testimony like Samuel.  So far, the words I've given have been fulfilled.  One word for one leader's restoration took 20 years to manifest.  It was fulfilled in stages with the last element being fulfilled two years ago. 

The bishop for KLI in Pakistan, our dear Brother Shahbaz, requested that I share a word with their leaders (860+ have been trained since 2008) and those who have served as CONECTers through Operation Rolling Thunder (5 city prayer centers, 22 churches and 3 church plants underway).  These minister in the midst of terrible persecution and yet they press on setting a marvelous example of courage anchored in love exercising faith.

As I prayed about his request I've received revelation about what is on our Father's heart I began to write as I sensed the anointing of the Lord.  This is what the Lord showed me and it goes far beyond Kingdom League International in Pakistan.  This is for every one who is part of KLI or who is passionate about seeing our Lord Jesus Christs' kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  The Lord says;

We are in a time of deep darkness
Isaiah 60:2 -  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.

In Jeremiah 25 we see God use Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon to expel His chosen people because their own choice of actions violated eternal laws which initiated a process which the land vomited the people out.  One of the eternal laws I speak of is found in Leviticus 18.

In Jeremiah 25 God uses the greed and selfish ambition of an unrighteous king (Nebuchadnezzar) as one of the consequences or judgments for the people's actions which had been displayed over a long period of time.  God was so very gracious He had sent many prophets (Jeremiah had ministered up to 23 years at that point) over the years.  Jeremiah 25:7 makes it very clear that it was actually the PEOPLE'S judgments (decisions) that brought about the situation such that they were losing their land.

We have a tendency to read scripture in a vacuum.  What I mean is, we usually don't see the bigger picture and recognize that God is dealing with a nation as well as the leader who at that point in time became the executor of judgment on Israel as a nation.  It's important to recognize that while God was dealing with Israel as a nation, He was also dealing with King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1-5) on a very personal level because of his own sin and pride. Ultimately if God deals with the leader of a nation, the nation will experience either the benefit or consequences of the leader's choices.  Now, back to my point.

I started to write an email to all those leaders who have worked with me using Operation Rolling Thunder (ORT) to mobilize and connect the Church in their city, region, state or nation.  The event that prompted this communication was an invitation from Jason Hubbard.  He is the founder of Light of the World Prayer Center which was the first of 5 city prayer centers launched during the first three months of ORT in 2008. Jason asked me to come and join them today (12-12-12) at a dedication service at LOWPC.  It caused me to take a moment, step back and consider where ORT began and how far it has come.

It began as a word God gave me which I spoke to three leaders in December 2004.  It is recorded in my book (click here for the ORT book).  I remembered the first time I met Jason.  He was serving as an associate pastor of a local church.  As he began using the strategy to mobilize and connect the churches in his area God began to speak, move and birth.  It led to the launch of five city prayer centers on three continents in the first three months of ORT.  Light of the World Prayer Center was the first of the five.  

Today LOWPC has become a vibrant ministry affecting powerful change in their community and is one of the flagships illustrating the beauty of God's wisdom displayed through ORT as it establishes 24/7 prayer while gathering the elders at the gates of the city.  They have 9 strategic (apostolic) councils combined with 32 churches working together monthly to raise up a canopy of 24/7 prayer over their city.  What began as a city prayer center is turning into one of many Apostolic Resource Centers (ARC).

I just returned from Kansas where I shared the revelation the Lord gave about "how to chart your course in this new era."  There were two key revelations the Lord shared within that message.

First, the results of this last election make it clear that the moral compass of the Church has deviated away from the truth (click here for the report from Life News) so far that a large segment of the Church chose to vote for candidates that advocated the murder of unborn children.  They obviously don't realize the consequences for the nation that sheds innocent blood (Lev. 18) or introduces legislation that destroys the family while promoting sexually deviate behavior that ultimately hurts people.  The Bible teaches us about eternal laws that are in place that work like the law of gravity.  Gravity works whether in believe in it or not.  Just go jump off a cliff and you'll see what I mean.  There are eternal laws that work the same way.  Our nation is reaping the consequences of the choices we are making as a people.  Compassion dictates that we desperately need our moral compass adjusted so that we can speak the truth in love.

Second, the Lord is raising the Papa Flag.  A Papa Flag is raised when a ship in port is recalling all sailors to the ship.  The Lord has raised the Papa Flag because He is recalling all saints to His "apostle ship." 

There is a principle in God's word: first the natural and then the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:26).  Here is the revelation that Lord revealed to me about how the natural compass relates to our moral compass.

A compass is used with a map to indicate direction.  It is a critical piece of equipment in navigation.  If the compass is in error then you will end up in a different place that you originally planned.    The key is, does the compass point to magnetic north or does it point to true north? 

God is speaking to the heartland of America; our moral compass is off!  It has deviated and it is time to be adjusted.  You correct deviation in a compass by taking a true bearing off a heavenly body like the sun.  It is time for the Church to take her bearing from the Son of God and adjust to line up with His word. 

This was part of the message the Lord gave me as I prepared to minister in Kansas during Charting the Course in this New Era.

Our heavenly Father is so passionate about this that He marked this message (His message) with a number of signs and wonders.  The signs begin with the logo my Lord had me develop in 2011 (click here - KLI Logo overview).  The Lord directed me to use a compass rose as the Church had lost her moral compass and her voice.  KLI had an assignment to help the ekklessia get her voice back. 

Next I created a Power Point with 4 slides to complement the message I was given.  It included an analysis of a number of decisions in this recent election that indicate the Church has lost her moral compass.  I used KLI's logo to display the compass rose and teach how forces in the earth to work to cause the compass to deviate and then how to correct it by getting a true bearing from a heavenly object like the sun (Son).  I also used the Papa Flag to introduce how God is calling the remenant to enter the ARC (Apostolic Resource Center) or the "apostle ship" in each city.