Pastor Bob’s Blog

Today is an historic day for the United States as Barack Obama is inaugurated as our first African-American president.  As believers, we need to be praying for him and for his administration.

So many people, though, are putting their hope in the new president.  During my prayer time this morning, the Lord led me to Psalm 146:1-6:

Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!  While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.  His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.  Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever. . .

As much as many in the Body of Christ may admire the new president, let’s be sure our hope is not be fastened on him.

Our hope is in the Lord, Who keeps truth forever!!!

Last Sunday, I preached on the first section of the prophetic word the Lord gave me for 2009.  “Rebirth” was the title of the message.  (You can listen to it on the “Resources” page of the church website, or on our iTunes podcast).  One of the points of the prophetic word said we should pray for the reapers and be a reaper.

When it comes to helping people be born again, we can fulfill one, two, or all three of the three roles involved:

1. We can be a pray-er (Matthew 9:37-38; Luke 10:2- pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to the harvest).
2. We can be a sower of the word of salvation into the person’s heart.
3. We can be the reaper who leads the person to pray the prayer (or make the confession) of salvation.

During my time alone with the Lord this morning, he took me to Amos 9:13, and I got really excited:

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed. . . “  (NKJV)

What is a plowman?  He’s the guy who breaks up the ground to prepare it for the seed to be sown.  The person who is praying for the sowers and reapers is the plowman – preparing the way in the spirit realm for the Word of God to be sown and for the the person who is the object of the prayer to be reaped into the Kingdom.

The Lord is telling us through the prophet Amos that the whole process of praying, sowing the Word, and reaping souls will be tightly compressed.  Each person will be born again so fast that the reaper (the last one in the process) will catch up with the plowman (the pray-er) as the plowman is praying for the next person!  I believe this is that time!  These are those days!

That means the Body of Christ will be reaping souls left and right in 2009.  Figuratively speaking, the pray-er, the sower, and the reaper will be stumbling over one another trying to keep up with the pace of salvations.  Glory to God!

We’re already seeing it.  Riley Stephenson is the Minister of Evangelism at Eagle Mountain International Church on the grounds of Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas.  Brother Riley leads teams of people into the malls, shops, and streets of Forth Worth and other cities where Brother and Sister Copeland have meetings.  The Lord used Brother Riley and his teams to pray, sow, and reap people into the Kingdom by the thousands last year, and the pace will pick up this year.

I expect to see the same thing at Abundant Life Church and throughout the Earth in 2009.  Plowmen, you’d better be praying, because the sowers and reapers are gaining on you!!

This is a word from the Lord I received in parts over the last two weeks:

2009 will be a year of rebirth, renewal, and redemption. People you’ve prayed for to receive Me but have rejected Me will be born again in 2009. This is your opportunity. Don’t give up. Pray for the reapers. Be a reaper.

Things in your life that have held you back from My best will be shed in 2009, and you will be renewed in My glory. But you have to make the first step. You have to make the decision. Forget the past. Press. Press for My best. Don’t accept less. Press. Press!

Things the devil has stolen from you will be given back 100 times over in 2009. Look for it. Put in the sickle. Redeem it with My blood and your words.

Don’t accept defeat. Abide in Me and you will bear fruit. And like My word says, I will come live with you, and we’ll have wonderful fellowship.

Don’t let the world steal your joy in 2009. Even when it’s hard, be joyful by faith. Don’t let the news creep in. Stay in My word. Meditate on My word. See yourself as I see you in My word. Don’t accept the way the world sees things. Accept My word and rejoice!