From the desk of Steve Shultz:
As I look out my window (I often work from home), I see the wheat fields ready to be harvested. That makes this word from the Lord come fully alive to me.
When we have a tested prophet, such as Bob Hartley, and in addition have someone who works with him and still endorses him, that makes his word doubly potent. Many assistants can't wait to get away from their employers. So when one heartily endorses their own boss, I read the word much more intensely. It makes his word come yet more alive to me. Thank you Bob and thank you Jen.
You should see how tall and apparently "ready" the wheat outside my window is. Talk about ready for harvest. God is speaking through it. The fields are ripe for harvest. And for me, I get to watch it in both the natural and the spiritual. I love that!
Here are some very carefully hand-picked resources for you, which will help your walk and help this ministry. I recommend them all. Of course both Bobby Conner and Kris Vallotton are VERY well-known prophetic voices to the Church, and when they talk or write, I pay very close attention. I pray you avail yourself of these. We wouldn't carry these resources if we didn't feel they were needful for our readers.
Bob Hartley:
2010: The Summer of Harvest and the Three-Year Glory Train
Intro by Jen Strohkorb, Assistant to Bob Hartley:
First, I would like to share a little about Bob Hartley and how he hears from the Lord. As an assistant to Bob, I have worked closely with him day by day, and I can honestly say that I have not met anyone who has such a passion to see the Father receive the love that He is due, with a heart to unlock His people to truly hope in Him in all of life. Bob is a true patriarch who desires to hear the heart of the Lord for the Body of Christ, but most importantly, to train and equip the people of God to hear the Father's voice for themselves. I have heard Bob say many times, "I will not raise up dependent ones, but I will raise up rulers!" A true father desires their children to go even further than they have gone, equipping them to thrive and soar in their relationship with God, not to be wrongly dependent.
I have the privilege of sharing with you some revelation from Bob Hartley and Bob Jones concerning this summer and the next three years. Our Hope Team here in Kansas City has the blessing of hearing Bob Hartley share dreams and revelation he receives from the Lord as we meet as an institute (including four businesses and Deeper Waters Ministry) to adore the Lord each morning at 9am at our office in Kansas City. We also had a special treat this month as Bob and our Hope Team were able to spend some time with Bob Jones, a life-long prophetic friend and builder with Bob Hartley, as they shared with one another what they felt the Lord was speaking for the Body of Christ in this season.
The following is a part of a series captured during our morning prayer times and the conversations between Bob Hartley and Bob Jones. The focus of these revelations is this summer of 2010 as a "Summer of Harvest" and a three-year hope "Glory Train" that the Lord is releasing across the earth in this time. Our heart is that these words and revelations would be building blocks for you to advance in your own journey of hope with the Father, that your heart would be propelled toward your divine destiny as His child in the Kingdom of God.
Jen Strohkorb
Hartley Institute
The Hope Glory Train &
Radiant Hope-Filled Cities
I had an encounter where I saw a hope "Glory Train" being released that would stop at different places across the earth where the glory of the Lord was to rest and reside. The hope "Glory Train" would only stop where the love is, where the veil is thin (between Heaven and earth), where the hope is, and where the invitation is given. The Lord is sending out pioneers like Bob Jones and others who will put people in place and decree a new thing or reality in those settings, and it will happen! Everywhere the hope "Glory Train" goes, if the love is strong enough and appreciation (not competition) rules the day, the Body of Christ will merge into one man!
The Hope Room &
The Counsel Table of the Lord
Years ago, as I was adoring the Lord, I was taken to the "Hope Room," where I received a radiant, hope-filled view of God's plans for the nations of the earth. I was taken above the clouds of doubt and despair. At that time, I did not have a real hope that cities and nations could love God well. In answer to my doubts, the Lord said, "Tell Nineveh it doesn't work to believe in Me." The Lord was using Nineveh as an example of an evil city that turned to God when His word was released to them. The Lord encouraged me to "take all the territory you can in this hour!" He showed me how He desires to bring forth cities and nations that will love Him well in this hour, through His people.
After I received a healed and expanded view of God's ability to transform cities and nations in this hour, a scout led me from the Hope Room down a hallway to the Counsel Table of the Lord. Many people were seated at this table, but I did not feel worthy to sit at the table. The scout said to me, "Though you are inwardly torn and flawed, you have a seat at the table of honor, and the King will speak to you there."
I saw the one who represented the King, and, in my mind, he was called the leader of Christianity, and was like a Central Command leader. He was informing the group around the table how the war for the nature of God was coming forth. He was helping them to get a healed and expanded view of God, of people and of the future. Then at the Lord's beckoning, the scout would show those at the table different geographic locations and current events, as well as specific people the Lord was raising up as kings and queens in the nations. Then the scout spoke to them about the Father's plans to enthrone His Son as King, as in Psalm 2:
I have installed My King on Zion, My holy hill.—Psalm 2:6
1983 Vision of Radiant, Hope-Filled
Cities and Nations
One of the first things that I was shown in 1983 at this Counsel Table of the Lord has shaped my vision for life and the future of the Body of Christ. I had been asking the Lord day and night, "God, what is on Your heart?" and in an open vision in a stairwell in Fort Collins, the Lord showed me several progressive pictures and opened His tender heart to me. In one scene, I saw Jesus walking through the streets of our cities. As Jesus walked through each city across the earth, He went mostly unperceived in the midst of the day and the arenas of life: politics, education, families, the social arenas, the arts and the marketplace. I also saw the homeless, the poor and the destitute who had been mostly forgotten, and I felt the pain the Lord felt as they died alone. They were all deeply rooted in His heart.
When I thought my heart would break, the scene shifted and the Lord then showed me radiant, hope-filled cities where Jesus was loved well in all arenas of life, and His name was glorified above all else! I saw Jesus enter in to these different arenas, and He was no longer lonely because He received the love He was due and people began to hope in Him.
I had never experienced anything so glorious and my heart leapt for joy to see Jesus loved well, not only in church, but throughout the city; not only as the God of the corner of the Church, but as the God of Life. I was overwhelmed as I began to receive the understanding of who God is in all of life, and I began to see that the Lord desires us to not only minister the Kingdom but to build the Kingdom. God is able to turn cities, nations, families, and businesses toward Him, through His people!
Hope Reformers Who are Kings and Queens are Coming Forth
Then the Lord showed me who was going to build these radiant, hope-filled cities. I saw those who were called "Hope Reformers," those that caught the vision, and I watched as they literally ran into the cities. They had a third perspective, a perspective not of the world and not of themselves, but God's heavenly, eternal perspective that transformed the world around them with the force of hope.
The Lord showed me that these Hope Reformers were benevolent kings and queens who were called to bring forth "Hope Centers" across the earth. (All Believers are called to be a kingdom and priests! "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His Blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father..."—Revelation 1:6.) These individuals were Psalm 34:5 people, radiant in their hope and love. They were rebuilding individuals, families, businesses, schools and cities, and everywhere they went they were singing the "Song of Wisdom and Hope," which represents the true knowledge of God.
At the Counsel Table of the Lord, I was shown some of these kings and queens, and those who were called to coronate others, as Samuels who would anoint the Davids. I have even met with many of them this month!
Dream of Deeper Waters
Recently, I have had reoccurring encounters regarding the next generation, and though it was specifically aimed at those leading youth in the Body of Christ, it is applicable to all Believers. It is the time to raise up the next generation to be champions of life!
In these encounters, the scout showed me the mistake that he and others had made in the past, by giving the youth an incomplete picture of Jesus and of life with Him. The first time I had this encounter was in 1989 when I was helping to lead a prominent youth ministry in Kansas City. At the time, they were experiencing a great breakthrough, as thousands of youth were coming together to marvel at the Son of God. It seemed that things could not get any better, but I knew there was more.
One night I had a dream, and the Lord showed me that I was leading the youth into "shallow waters" of the knowledge of God. I actually saw the youth diving into two inches of water, and I was certain they would break their necks. I realized that I had been leading them into a narrow view of God, and that I, too, had limited God by only seeing Him as the God of Church. I cried out to God, "How should I lead them?" and I found myself before a huge open door that said, "The God of All Life." This door led into a chamber that had thousands of other doors inside. On each door was written a "forgotten face" of God, the parts of His nature that have been misunderstood or unperceived.
One door said, "The Builder God." Another said, "The Supplier God," and yet another said, "The God of Creative Genius." I watched as these doors began to open up, and I was overjoyed to see the youth running into those doors and discovering deeper waters of the nature of God there. The next day, after I had this dream, I went to a recording of the "Shepherd's Rod" with Bob Jones, and at the end, Bob Jones called me out and said to me, "This young man will not be with us for long, God is calling him out to discover God in all of life."
Bob Jones then gave me several items he had dug up from his garden. One was a golden key, and he told me, "You will unlock parts of the nature and knowledge of God that have been buried for thousands of years, as in Isaiah 45:3, 'I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places...'" Ever since that time, I have made it my life vision to discover God in every arena of life, and to help others do the same.
Opening the Library of Heaven
Later one night, I went to bed asking the Lord for help to solve specific situations in my business and family, and I had a dream where I was taken to Heaven and brought into a beautiful library. There I was given two golden books that were covered with dust. The Lord told me they were golden treasure that was needed for the Body of Christ to have the knowledge to proceed and succeed in this hour.
In this encounter, I saw the Lord give these two golden keys or advanced tools, in the knowledge of the God of all Life, and Hope to the Hope Reformers I had seen in previous encounters. With these two golden keys, these Hope Reformers, like Nehemiah, would be able to overcome the obstacles and rebuild cities that would love God well and hope in Him. These Hope Reformers would also help others discover the heart of God in every arena of life. I saw the Psalm 24 reality come forth, where the King of glory was invited into all the gates, or arenas, of the city.
Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.—Psalm 24:7
These two golden keys from the Library of Heaven were Adoration and Asking. It is the Psalm 27:4 reality, where the one thing David asked for was "to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life," so that he could do two things... 1) adore God ("...to behold the beauty of the Lord...") and 2) ask Him questions ("...and to inquire in His temple.")
The Golden Key of Adoration
In this encounter, the Lord showed me that the advanced tool of Adoration is the first part of Psalm 27:4, "...to behold the beauty of the Lord..." Adoration is loving and magnifying the Lord for who He is, focusing solely on His beauty, goodness, mercy, grace, love, wisdom, kindness, etc., and not asking for anything—just lavishing our love on Him! He is worthy! It is the Psalm 100:4 reality, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name."
I saw that through adoration, these hope-filled Hope Reformers will discover the four "forgotten faces of God" that the Lord is emphasizing for the Body of Christ for 2009-2011: the Redeemer God, the Builder God, the Supplier God and the Wise God.
I was instructed to get up early in the morning every day and adore these four particular faces of God. This caused me to go deeper and deeper so when I faced problems and situations during the day with family, in business, and with people, that the atmosphere was changed around me as I invited God in through adoration. My circumstances became radiant with the power and the presence of God, and a whole new lifestyle came forth for me. God is inviting all of His Hope Reformers into this glorious reality!
In previous encounters, the Lord spoke to me about the discovery of the "forgotten faces of God," which were areas where we have forsaken the knowledge of the Holy. These "faces" represented facets of His character that we have misunderstood or not perceived. I saw the Lord releasing golden keys to unlock thousands of His "forgotten faces" in this time! Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." It's time for us to search out the treasure of His nature as the God of Hope!
The Lord showed me that as these Hope Reformers would set their hearts in adoration every day and purpose to magnify and adore the Lord first, their perspectives would be lifted up above the clouds of doubt and despair, and they would begin to see with God's eternal, heavenly perspective. He watched as their first response to crisis or challenges was no longer doubt, fear or anxiety, but their faces became radiant as they magnified and extolled the greatness of their God. Their emotions and thoughts were no longer altered by their circumstances, but their hope in God began to change the circumstances around them. They became firmly planted Adoration Pillars, spreading the fragrance of Jesus everywhere they went.
The Golden Key of Asking
Next, the Lord showed me the second advanced tool of Asking, which is the next part of Psalm 27:4, "...to inquire in His temple." Asking is about coming before the Lord at His counsel table and inquiring of Him, as David did. The strength of David's life was adoration and asking. Throughout his life, he continually came before the Lord to adore Him, as he shared in Psalm 119:164, "Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous laws." David also made a habit of inquiring of the Lord, even when faced with circumstances similar to those he had encountered in the past. We see David continuing to inquire, and then given completely different strategies from the Lord, even when the situation appeared identical (see 2 Samuel 5:17-25).
David was truly a man after God's heart for each circumstance he found himself in. David was in no means perfect, but he purposed to care for the heart of God, and he understood that his strength came from the Lord.
At the Counsel Table of the Lord, the Lord showed me that many times I had come to Him with the wrong questions that were birthed from fear and doubt, rather than coming with hope-filled, confident questions that God would give. These questions from God would position my heart in confident expectation of the goodness of the Lord and His plans and hope for my life. The Lord showed me that I could either approach my circumstances as a constant question of God's love for me, or I could come to the Counsel Table of the Lord and rightly perceive my position before God as His favored Son. This puts circumstances in their proper place. He showed me that it is a choice to live under the circumstances of life or to live above them.
As I purposed to listen to the heart of the Lord, He gave me new questions of hope, as in Isaiah 43:18-19, "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?" The Lord has given me hundreds of questions about process, relationships, the next generation, cities and nations, individuals, for business, etc. The Lord is inviting us all to His Counsel Table, where He desires to give us the right questions to ask at the right time, to give us the right hope-filled answers to advance our hearts into our divine destiny.
In another encounter, I saw that as these Hope Reformers began to ask the right questions of the Lord, they received a new Kingdom level of hearing where the Lord would share His blueprints and plans for the next 10 to 20 years for the cities and nations of the earth. They also received very practical wisdom for day to day life in family, business, ministry, etc. As many Hope Reformers were sent out on the three-year "Glory Train," it was crucial that they entered into this new level of Kingdom hearing for the sake of the nations they were being sent to, and the kings they were to anoint and put in place in these nations.
In this encounter, the Lord told me that the best way to love someone is to listen to their heart. My heart was grieved as the Lord shared that there were few who really listened to His heart. He also shared that listening is really the process and pattern of Scripture, as in Ecclesiastes 5:1, "Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil."
Listening to God's heart is not only the greatest way to love Him, but it is a transformational tool for our own hearts. It also brings transformation to society; when the Church comes together in unity to listen to the heart of God, tragedy is averted in cities and nations across the earth.
Bob Hartley
Deeper Waters Ministry
Email: deeperwatersinc@gmail.com
About Bob Hartley: Bob Hartley is the founder of Hartley Institute/Deeper Waters Ministry in Kansas City, Missouri, inspired through a dream the Lord gave to Bob more than a decade ago, where the Lord spoke that the "The Youth of this nation are diving into 'shallow waters' of the knowledge of God, and it is killing them!" Bob's heart is to take this generation deep into the knowledge of God through hopeful, heartfelt prayer and intimacy with the Lord, and opening up their ability to hear from His heart and partner with the God of All of Life in every arena and season of the soul.
Bob served as a pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship with Mike Bickle before entering the marketplace in 1983, with a vision to see the marketplace redeemed and cities established that value and love the person of Jesus. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Hartley Group, a "Hope Center" for the marketplace, consisting of Hartley's Executive Cleaning, Swift Chemicals & Supply, Prize Properties and H&H Management in Kansas City, Missouri. Bob is a frequent speaker to youth, churches, businesses and national leaders throughout America and the world. His quest has been to bring the Kingdom of God into every arena of life and give spiritual tools and equipping to those seeking to know and love God in the midst of their everyday lives. Currently, Bob resides in Kansas City with his wife and four children.
