Message For the New Year

About Contributions

Now that we are at the start of a new year, I want to thank you all for your support of this ministry, both financial and prayer support. Some of you have been very generous this year, especially recently, and I want to thank-you most sincerely for your generous help.

As you may know, back in 1991 when the Father called me back into full-time ministry, I came to an understanding with Him that I did not want to be my own financial manager or fund raiser. We agreed that I would do the work, and since it was HIS ministry and not mine, He would see to it that the ministry was funded. So if the funds dried up, the solution would not be to send out fund-raising appeals, but rather for me to just shut it down and go find other work. Further, we agreed that if I am ever late in paying a bill (other than just forgetting to pay it), that would be the sign that I should start looking for other work.

So far, I have always had enough to cover the bills, though sometimes over the past years it has come down to the last minute. God has done this occasionally in order to prove the point that regardless of how bleak it may seem, He is always faithful. So we have learned to rest in His provision and not worry when things have looked hopeless.

I have also learned the value of each contribution, regardless of its size. I see contributions in terms of other people’s labor. Someone had to work for every dollar that comes to us. So I have learned to view each donation in terms of how much labor others have done to earn it—not in terms of my own particular needs. In this way God has shaped my thinking, so that I gain a better understanding and perspective about money.

About Correspondence and Communication

Some have wondered how I manage to publish so many teachings (blogs and books). Part of the answer is that this is my priority each day, which means I often leave other things undone. This includes answering emails and letters, many of which go unanswered. I try to read all personal emails, but am not always able to answer personally. Each may take only a small amount of time, but in the avalanche of emails, together they add up to many hours in all. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day.

In the past couple of years, I have taken to answering email in the evening when I get home. Sometimes I listen to video links or news articles that people send me. This has allowed me to extend the day by a couple of hours, but I must be careful not to “burn the candle at both ends.” I don’t want to wear myself out, because then I would have to take time off for a vacation, and in the end, I would not really save time at all.

Actually, as I have said before, I don’t do work. What I do takes energy and can tire me at times, but I really enjoy what I do, so I consider my work to be fun. And then when I get home in the evening, I find that my wife has made the home into a castle, where I can relax and have more fun. I probably have more fun than is legal.

Local Ministry Work

I do not often speak of this outside of our local group, but we do meet once a month as a local group. There are perhaps a hundred people who meet with us, although not all come at the same time. We have only had one meeting where we counted 109 people. But some people drive 100 miles from the south or 100 miles from the north to attend our all-day meetings.

In addition to these, I often teach at another nearby local church, where I often attend. In fact, they are having a mini-conference there this week end, and I am scheduled to speak there tonight and tomorrow morning. We also go to other home meetings when we can. So between all these local meetings, we are kept busy, especially on week ends.

This is another reason why I have to be careful not to work too hard. I seldom get a day off, and I have often asked the Father what to do about this. Because most of my work is fun, I suspect that God thinks I only work one day a week!

My real vacations come when I travel out of town to conferences, weddings, graduations, or for other reasons. Darla and I will be gone to California from January 13-19, as I have to perform a wedding on the 17^th and also visit with friends while I am in the area.

We are also planning to go to New Zealand to teach in various places for three weeks, beginning in late February. Some of you met Linley at the Tabernacles conference last October. She is the main person organizing this trip. Darla and I met her last July when we spent the night at her house in the northern part of New Zealand.

Then I hope to host a Passover conference in April, or perhaps a Second Passover conference in early May this year. So far, however, I have not had the time to find a place for it. I hope to do this next week.

In late April I am planning a 10-day trip to The Netherlands to visit and teach.

In July we are planning a trip to Asia, perhaps for a full month or even more. Plans are still incomplete, but it appears that we will be teaching in South Korea and the Philippines. I may miss an FFI, if we are gone that long, but my sons will take care of the office work while we are gone.

The Year of the Dove

 Diane P. sent word that James Maloney prophesied that this is the Year of the Dove. Then in mid-December, Diane took this photo of a dove in the sky overlooking the mountains of New Mexico in the background:

We prayed about this and received confirmation that this indeed is the Year of the Dove. Perhaps it means that we will see the start of the season when the Holy Spirit is sent out into the earth in a new and special way. I hope that this applies to our own overseas trips coming up this year. Jonah (or Jonas/Jones) means “dove.”

All of the preparation that we have done over the years has been for a time such as this.

Books

Book 7 of our Luke series is now in the final proofing stage. It should be in print later this month. I am now about one-third of the way into the final book in the Luke series, entitled “The climax.” I finished the blog on the last section of Luke 22 today, and have only Luke 23 and 24 to go. These are long chapters, but we are starting to see the end of this project. My goal is to finish before Passover.

I have worked hard to get this series finished before the Father sends me on long trips overseas. I would like to do commentaries on all of the books of the Bible, but that would take a long time. So I am combining a lot of the books. Luke represents all of the gospels. Deuteronomy represents all the books of the law. I hope to do a commentary on Daniel next, which will represent the Major Prophets. Then maybe I can finish the Book of Revelation, which I started in 2004 and never completed.

I still want to complete the Psalms, since I have only completed the Genesis Book of Psalms (1-41) and have four more to go.

So much to write, and so little time!

In the future, I want to compile a Study Bible with notes and cross-references that are actually helpful to people. We need something to replace the flawed Scofield Reference Bible with one that will be useful for this century.

As you can see, I have a very large vision, and there is much work to be done. Your support makes you a participant in this vision/work, and Scripture says that we will all have an equal reward in the end.

Rick Joyner’s Prophecy about Russia

This prophecy was published more than 12 years ago on October 21, 2002. This was long before the current conflict with the US government began.

http://www.morningstarministries.org/resources/strategic-prophetic-words/2002/strategic-prophetic-word-cis-russia#.VKht8z-cZjs

October 21, 2002

Russia will be the host of the greatest revival that the world has yet seen. Because of it, the soul of the nation will be transcendent, overcoming many of the great problems of the times and helping many other nations to do the same.

Preceding this, Russia has a very difficult road ahead, with some tragic events looming. Eventually the road will become smoother. God’s grace is extended toward Russia, and He is the One who put in Putin. She has at times tottered on the brink of anarchy, but she will grow in stability and wisdom and be a great leader of nations until the end. The Lord has prepared great leaders for Russia in government, business, and the church. These will all be statesmen in their fields, developing a sound and wise interchange with counterparts in other nations to their mutual benefit. Such interchange is essential for the prosperity of Russia, and she must learn to resist the forces of isolation and shortsightedness. Germany, Poland, and Russia will grow in friendship to their mutual benefit and strengthening.

It is the destiny of Russia to precede the world in dealing with some of the problems that the whole world will face. Pray for wisdom from above to show them the way to build upon a foundation that can stand against the pressures to come. When Russia is standing on solid ground, the world will be safer, and she will be able to help pull many other nations out of the quicksand. The potential of the Russian soul is a great treasure. The greatest threat to Russia is not the resurrection of Communism, but the emergence of Fascism.

The last sentence is being fulfilled in America, which is seeing “the emergence of Fascism” in the guise of Democracy and Human Rights. Fascism is where big corporations, including big banks and oil companies, take control of the government for their own benefit. Politicians become corporate agents who pretend to represent their constituents but in actuality represent corporations who pay them covertly in secret offshore bank accounts.

We are now seeing the “difficult road” that Russia is traveling, but this must precede the time when Russia hosts “the greatest revival that the world has yet seen.” So do not despair over the threats to world peace and prosperity. Rejoice that these problems are not the end of the story but only the prelude to the Holy Spirit being sent out as a dove.