To all Pastors and Leaders
Greetings.
As we face the impact of the Coronavirus I have felt some very strong convictions as to how as pastors and leaders we should approach this time.
I believe we are facing one of the greatest opportunities for the Gospel that most of us have ever encountered. However, how we handle this time is critical to the outcomes, I believe, God is wanting to achieve.
The following points are, as I believe, to be God’s heart during this time.
- This virus has nothing to do with End Time Events, Matthew 24, the Book of Revelation and the Woes that are spoken of there. Nor has it anything to do with the many conspiracy theories that so many are promoting. I believe that to hold those things as relevant simply avoids facing the real issues. This is a disaster, yes, but now we have to have a Christian response to the disaster.
- That this is the time to demonstrate what it means to be a prophetic leader/pastor. And I am not talking about being prophetic in terms of what God is doing, judgements of God, future End Time Events. I mean, carry the Revelation of God so strongly and anointed that listeners are moved toward faith, expectation and accessing the resources of heaven. We have preached about these things but now is the time to reveal whether our preaching has been mere words and theories and whether or not they have had a personal reality for you and that you can bring your people into new levels of faith. Pastor/leader, your job is to hear God, deliver that to your people in such as a way that faith and expectation is created in their hearts.
- That you need to equip your people in the dynamics of faith so that they themselves can access the miraculous provision of God. That means:
- Words of Decree and Declaration
- Reading the bible by personalising each verse and thereby accessing personal revelation
The prayers of pleading with God will not work in these days. God is looking for His people to rise up in faith and authority accessing heaven themselves. You need to teach them how to pray these ways.
“I declare Your abundance provision over my life! I decree God’s peace over my life. I refuse fear and anxiety and decree God’s provision as I seek first His Kingdom!”
- To also equip your people in ways to do spiritual warfare. Scriptures such as ‘’Resist the Devil and he will flee from you’’ and Ephesians 6 about what we are wrestling with all come into focus. Everything around your people is focused on creating fear, anxiety and hopelessness. Demonic forces also empower these things. Such passages as the following take on huge significance:
Philippians 4:6-7
(6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
(7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So how do people pray and make supplication so that the peace of God comes into their hearts? Please, don’t talk about this, but teach people the practical ways of doing this. Otherwise, your words remain mere words. We are called to teach the ‘how’s of faith’ and not just tell them to just have faith. People generally don’t know how to do that – so teach them how and if you don’t know how then talk to someone who does!
Finally, I believe, you as a pastor and leader, is called to be the declarer and establisher of truth, revelation and faith to your people. For me, I refuse the negative talk, I refuse the fear and anxiety and I refuse the doomsday attitudes of so many people. I choose to stand in faith and hold out for the miraculous.
Be blessed,
Brent Douglas