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Months ago, while cleaning up my office space, I heard the Lord say, "The Body of Christ needs the anointing of Amos!" I felt a strong pull from the Lord to read the book of Amos. I read the book of Amos and realized that the prophet Amos was both a seer and an intercessor. I began to pray that a prophetic intercessory anointing would be released and increased upon the Body of Christ at large.
Recently the Lord spoke to me again, using the exact same words: "The Body of Christ needs the anointing of Amos!" God added these words with a strong tone and voice: "READ THE BOOK OF AMOS!"
In my mind I thought, "But God, I already read the book of Amos, and You already told me that!" However, I know that obeying God is always better than leaning on one's own understanding. "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all of your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV). I opened the Word of God and began to read the book of Amos again, as instructed.
Amos was a sycamore tree farmer and sheep herder whom God anointed as a prophet (Amos 7:14). He lived in Tekoa, a small farming village in the current West Bank region of Israel. God especially graced him in the dimensions of prophetic visions and strategic intercession. His prophetic ministry was during the reigns of King Uzziah of the southern kingdom of Judah and King Jeroboam of the northern kingdom Israel.
The Three Visions of Amos
The Holy Spirit directed me to read chapter 7 of his writings. In chapter 7, Amos had three visions.
The First Vision:
"Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, He formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings." (Amos 7:1 KJV)
In this first vision that God gave Amos, he saw locusts that "stripped the land clean" (see verse 2 NIV). In ancient times, a swarm of locusts was a feared force. Most of Israel at the time was agrarian, depending heavily on crops for their survival, and a swarm of locusts could become a plague on the land. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
How did Amos respond to this prophetic vision? Amos cried out to the Lord to forgive the people and pleaded for mercy: "... O Lord God, forgive, I beseech Thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small" (Amos 7:2 KJV). In the following verse, the Lord hears Amos' plea of intercession and relents from this judgment.
The Second Vision:
"Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, the Lord GOD called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory." (Amos 7:4 NKJV)
In this second vision, Amos saw a judgment by some type of devouring fire. The Bible doesn't say what the source of the fire would have been, just that it would have "devoured the territory." Amos again interceded and asked God that this judgment would not come to pass. God was persuaded by Amos' cry for mercy and acquiesced to his request.
The Third Vision:
"Thus He shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in His hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of My people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." (Amos 7:7-9 KJV)
In this third vision, the Lord Himself appeared and decreed that He was removing His hand of protection from the land. There was a three-fold punishment that was released: the high places were made desolate, the sanctuaries were laid waste, and an armed conflict broke out as judgment against the house of Jeroboam. The house of Jeroboam represented the ruling family and government of the day. 2 Kings 13:11 tells us about this civil administration: "And he [Jeroboam] did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein" (emphasis mine).
Amos Discerns Properly
Up until this point, Amos had been interceding and pleading with God to stop the intended judgments revealed in the visions. However, Amos now remained quiet, and did not ask God to relent from this third vision. Amos indeed had the heart of an intercessor, but here it is revealed to us, through his change in behavior, that he had discerned that this third punishment was the RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT of God, and was needed to bring the will of God about in Israel.
Also, we must note that the judgments in the first two visions would have affected the nations at large. Locusts eating up all of the vegetation would have caused a famine for the entire populace. Amos 7:4 says that the fire seen in the second vision would have devoured the territory. Maybe it would have resembled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? However, in this third vision, much of the onus for the nation's troubles was placed upon the activities in the high places, the sanctuary, and the seat of government – the house of Jeroboam!
Here Is the Key
Herein lies the key for what God was trying to show me: There are times in intercession when we are not to pray against what the Lord is showing us, but rather discern when certain judgments from Heaven are needed to bring righteous change and transformation. The righteous judgment of Pharaoh's household was a catalyst for the release of millions of oppressed Hebrews. Signs and wonders were used to display God's preeminence over the gods of Egypt and Pharaoh. (Photo via Pexels)
God desires for us to operate in intercession, plea for mercy, and cry out for His hand of protection. However, there are times when the Holy Spirit may not be revealing something in order to call us to prevent something, but rather in order to prepare and ask God for wisdom on how to respond. This level of intercession requires a certain level of maturity and discernment. The anointing of Amos is one of the anointings we need in order to be able to partner with God to see His purposes fulfilled in the earth. It is an anointing of prophetic intercession and of seeing and discerning the will of God in prayer!
Prayer
Dear Lord, we pray for Your anointing and burden to intercede over our families, communities, cities, states and nations, that they would increase upon our lives and within our churches. We ask that the Holy Spirit would anoint us afresh to see and hear clearly what Heaven is desiring to do in our midst.
Heavenly Father, please anoint us with an anointing like that of Amos' – to see calamity before it happens and STOP IT by the power of prayer. May this anointing destroy the plans of the enemy and prevent woe! Also, anoint our hearts (like You did Amos') to be able to righteously divide and discern what the will of the Lord is.
Lord, bring down systems ruled by wickedness, corruption, kleptocracy, graft, and the exploitation of people groups. Lord, release Your saving hand and saving grace to raise up systems and structures that operate in godliness and help facilitate the end-time harvest of souls! In Jesus' name we pray!
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Demontae Edmonds
Freedom 4 the Nations
Email:Â INFO@F4Nations.com
Website:Â www.d4tn.org
Demontae Edmonds is the founder of Freedom 4 the Nations, host of "This is Freedom" podcast on Charisma Podcast Network, and host of Atlanta's "Highways" TV program. He travels the nations preaching the Gospel with notable signs, wonders, and miracles. His heart is to share the reality of Jesus Christ with the world through demonstrations of the Holy Spirit's power and presence. He has authored the books "Grab Hold of Your Miracle," "Discerning of Spirits: 7 Dimensions of Revelation," and "The Supernatural Gift of Faith."
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