From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Some of my best breakthrough happened during "violent praise" before God. I sometimes say that we need to "get in His face" in a good way through praise and prayer. He likes it when we do that. You'll like this word by Chuck Pierce on this very subject and much more. Chuck stands in the presence of God and you can feel it in the latest word he shares below.
Chuck is an apostle and is my friend and is a son of Issachar who can interpret the times and seasons. He is a gift to the Body of Christ in this very hour. Let's take heed to his prophetic insight and words for the Body; he is here to help us.
Here are also some resources by Chuck Pierce that will immensely help you:
Chuck D. Pierce:
This is NOT a Time to be Passive but to Go to War and Worship Violently!
The Kingdom suffers violence and the violent take "IT" by force! I believe the Lord is requiring our worship to become more violent. Kingdoms are clashing. We, a people of God, will take the earth by forceful worship. Violent worship overcomes violence in the natural, because the atmosphere around us changes.
What is Violent Praise?
I am getting several questions about violent praise. Violence means vehement, forcible, or destructive action, often involving infringement, outrage, or assault. Matthew 11:12-13 says, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." In the phrase "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence," a share in the heavenly Kingdom is sought for with the most ardent zeal and the most intense exertion. The New International Version reads, "The Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." There is a sound and expression that will help you attain God's best and wrest all of what God has for you from the enemy's hands.
Praise comes from a Latin word meaning "value" or "price." To give praise to God is to proclaim His merit or worth in every situation that we find ourselves encountering. You can shout, "Glory!" You can release blessing! Your heart can express thanksgiving! In this crisis time, we must learn to bring praise and the acknowledgement of God into every circumstance of our life. If we do this, God will enthrone Himself in the midst of our circumstances, and He will take on any strategy the enemy is using to bind, block and captivate us. This is a time to remove the enemy's upper hand from controlling our inheritance.
Praise includes offering of sacrifices (Leviticus 7:13), physical movement (2 Samuel 6:14), silence and meditation (Psalm 77:11-12), testimony (Psalm 66:16), prayer (Philemon 4:6) and a holy life (1 Peter 1:3-9). Each one of these expressions can become violent when you are determined to advance in God's Kingdom plan. Praise is linked to music, both instrumental (Psalm 150:3-5) and vocal. Praise includes spontaneous outbursts of thanksgiving for some redemptive act of God (Exodus 15; Judges 5, 1 Samuel 2, Luke 1:46-55, 67-79). Praise also includes formal psalms and hymns adapted for corporate worship (2 Chronicles 29:30) and church (Colossians 3:16). Praise should be a heart expression and not an outward show (Matthew 15:8).
This is not a season for the Body of Christ to be passive. Here are some great examples where the Israelites expressed violent praise. The Israelites expressed violent praise at Jericho. Gideon expressed violent praise over the Midianites. Paul and Silas expressed violent praise that shook them out of prison. Don't worry about what to say—just let your heart respond to God, for He IS Worthy! Psalm 81:10 says, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."
The restoration of David's Tabernacle is advancing in the earth realm in this generation. You should read Amos 9 as well as Acts 15, and then the book of Revelation. One expresses prophetically, another expresses historically, and the latter reveals to us the present expression of the war in the Heavens. When you read more closely, you see how we, as God's army in the earth, will co-labor with the Host of Heaven to express a Holy God's overcoming power throughout the nations of the earth. This will unlock a global harvest. Your violent praise is preparing a storehouse for Kingdom harvest.
As you praise "violently," you are releasing the Roar of the Lord that has been held captive in God's people. Let me explain the "Roar of the Lord." God's sound permeates from Heaven and orders much of what goes on in the earthly realm. When He is ready to bring restoration to Earth, He releases His sound. Judah goes first! Judah roars! The roar of God is within us. Judah means "praise Yahweh." Do not resist the major shift that is re-creating the way we worship and acknowledge God corporately. Yahweh signifies the God of covenant. When we worship, we express value for the covenant that He has allowed us to enter into with Him. What a price He paid to give us access to the Throne Room!
Our worship will release great blessings into the earthly realm. The redeemed of the Lord will say "SO." This is a time when the burning bush, "I AM," type of worship is coming into the midst of God's people. This is going to release a deliverance call across Earth. When the ROAR of the Lord goes forth, a prophetic mantle falls (Amos 3). Let the Roar of the Lord loose that which is deep within you. This will enable you to hear clearly for your future. There will be an anointing to open your "ears."
You will sense the Lord will break hidden grief that has kept your joy capped. Shout "Glory!" Release blessings! Express thanksgiving! Everywhere you walk from this day forward, release an atmosphere of praise that will defeat the enemy!
Stand and Withstand!
Many Christians do not understand the concept of spiritual warfare. We should master war, since we all seem to be living in an atmosphere filled with war. Warfare is conflict. The concept of war is simple—we are seated next to a risen Messiah. When He arose from the dead and ascended to His Heavenly position to rule and reign, He prepared a place for us to sit next to Him. Through His Blood, we can enter into the Throne Room and gain Father's heart over any matter. Then, from our seated position, we can walk in the earth clothed in His glory and dispel darkness. He came to overcome the works of the devil, and we can do this as we remain in Him.
When the enemy attempts to pull you from your abiding, seated place of authority, go to war! When the enemy, the god of this world, tries to stop you from ascending through communion into the Throne Room to gain revelation, GO TO WAR!
We must learn to stand and withstand. Ephesians 6:10-18 says:
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
James 4:7-8 admonishes us: "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
For us to stand, we must submit. The word submit means "to stand under." The word stand means "to go against." The word withstand is the same word used for antihistamine. The Lord is saying: "Stand under My rule and authority. Be in authority and under authority. Stand against the governments of Hell that would resist My purposes in the earth. Let Me build your resistance to satan's schemes in the earth. Overthrow his purposes. Let Me draw near to you, and let My presence overtake you."
What should we do? First of all, find your place to stand. There are many gaps and broken places that have formed in each realm of our society. Intercessors stand. Prophets decree. Apostles execute. Get divinely aligned and stand in your assigned gap, and watch as the wall of defense is rebuilt and the boundaries are extended. God's purpose was that His glory would fill the earth. Keep standing until the glory has covered your sphere of authority! Also, keep standing with the full armor of God!
Becoming Whole in Body, Soul and Spirit
Many times when we surrender our life to the Lord, we are fragmented in our soul with pieces of our life scattered here and there. The power of scattering is linked with a curse that has right because of sin and iniquity in our life. When we sin, pieces of the person God intends for us to be are left behind connected to the time we missed the mark and acted in our own strength. We trade purity, blessing, health, and/or a part of God's perfect plan for our lives for a moment when something of lesser significance temporarily satisfies our desire. Therefore, parts of the whole person that we should be lie scattered along the paths of our lives at each place where temptation led us to sin.
Although we in the Western world tend to compartmentalize our lives into physical, mental and spiritual (or body, soul and spirit), the fact is that a proper Biblical worldview is one of a unified, whole person in whom these parts are not separate entities, but are interconnected. First Thessalonians 5:23 says, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Here we see that God's interest in sanctifying is not limited to the spiritual being of a person, but the whole person. The concept of dealing with a person holistically did not originate in the Far East or in New Age thinking; it originated with God.
In fact, Jesus' message was one of wholeness. Many times He would respond to those whom He touched by saying, "Your faith has made you whole." Why? As previously mentioned, sin can leave us scattered. Sin affects each part of us. Sin is not just a dark blot on the invisible realm of the soul; it can affect us physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Many people are facing illnesses today because of sin in their lives. For this reason, we must transcend our Western mind-set and realize that we need restoration and wholeness to be brought to every part of our being. E. Anthony Allen, in the book Transforming Health, edited by Eric Ram, states:
The ways people think, feel, relate and manage their lifestyles can maim and even kill. But divine healing and renewed hope can transcend normal healing processes. Divine forgiveness, reconciliation, deliverance, restoration and renewal bring healing. Where God reigns there is healing. Wholeness comes not by "treating" but by healing.
That is why Jesus said, "Your faith has made you whole." When He heals, He also restores. Restoration is a holistic process. Only God has the power to gather the scattered pieces of our sin-ridden lives and bring them back into wholeness.
That is part of what happened to my life. When the Lord said, "I will restore to you all that you have lost," I entered into a process of exchanging my early, fragmented life for a wholeness that gave me the power to obtain all the spiritual blessings that God had stored up for me in the heavenly places. My body, soul and spirit all entered into that process.
The Power of Blessings that Lead to Success!
Jesus blessed a young boy's lunch and 7,000 were blessed. He changed water to wine because they needed wine at a wedding feast. He spoke and the dead were raised. A centurion told Him that he would trust whatever He said to heal his servant who was sick back home. I could go on and on with story after story from Bible history. The issue is very simple, "What will He say and how will you receive His word for your faith to become active and see your blessings manifest?" He knows when someone touches Him by faith. Faith, success, and blessings go hand in hand.
I believe one of the most important concepts that a child of God (or really anyone, as a matter of fact) needs to understand is the power of blessings. When you are warring for your inheritance, which is a reality, what you are really contending over is your Garden or Promised Land dominion.
Within Abraham's covenant promise was the boundary of the future. This boundary was not just land, but everything in the land. The LORD even shares with Abraham a timing sequence. He told him that when the iniquity of the Amorites became "full," his people could go into the boundaries of what was promised and experience a transfer. God has a perfect timing to remove the prosperity of a group who depends upon themselves and the empowerment of their gods. He then transfers their material blessings to His peoples' stewardship.
The Lord is looking for a generation. He is looking for a leadership. He is looking for an individual who will EXPECT Him to perform His Word! When He finds that people and sees their leadership, He reiterates His plan for them to prosper. When His time is perfect, He will manifest His blessings to you!
Lift Up Your Eyes, for Faith is Coming to You Now in a New Way!
I felt led to send you a grouping of Scriptures (with other references in between) put together in a sequence that is really speaking to me. Sometimes, I allow the Lord to take one Scripture that speaks and let a train of revelation begin. Anne Tate always says, "There's 'juice' on that word. This is so hot!"
This will speak to you. Pray the whole word out loud:
"I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills (around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah)—from whence shall my help come? (Jer. 3:23.) My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; behold, He who keeps you will not slumber (1 Sam. 2:9; Ps. 127:1; Prov. 3:23,26; Isa. 27:3.) Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand (the side not carrying a shield) (Isa. 25:4). The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night (Ps. 91:5; Isa. 49:10; Rev. 7:16). The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore (Deut. 28:6; Prov. 2:8; 3:6)—Psalm 121, AMP
"NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses). For by (faith - trust and holy fervor born of faith) the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. By faith we understand that the worlds (during the successive ages) were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible."—Hebrews 11:1-3, AMP
"For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.' See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."—Ephesians 5:8-15
"WAIT and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy (priceless, spiritual) wine and milk without money and without price (simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing) (Rev. 21:6,7; 22:17.) Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (the profuseness of spiritual joy) (Jer. 31:12-14).
"Incline your ear (submit and consent to the divine will) and come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with you, even the sure mercy (kindness, goodwill, and compassion) promised to David (2 Sam. 7:8-16; Acts 13:34; Heb. 13:20). For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
"For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater (2 Cor. 9:10), so shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void (without producing any effect, useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out (from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland) with joy and be led forth (by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word) with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."—Isaiah 55
The Lord says, "Wait—the waters are rising! Come by faith into a new place that I AM leading you to!"
A Time of Vexation
These are times that you must stay in faith. Without faith, we cannot please God. I am finishing writing the book: A Time to SEE: Moving Past the Enemy's Vexing Power. The Hebrew word mehuwmah (meh-hoo-maw') means confusion or uproar leading to destruction, discomfiture, trouble, and tumult. When your spirit is vexed, your whole life seems confused. I love the book of Deuteronomy which records where Moses reviewed all the Law, Torah, and the wilderness wanderings of a people. The children of Israel had been vexed for the last 40 years because of decisions they made that were influenced by unbelief and fear (Numbers 14). However, now the time had come for the people to move forward past the confusion, uproar, and trouble of the last season.
Moses explained all the blessings that were available to this people in the future if they would obey. He then shared about the power of vexation coming on them, spirit, soul, and body, if they did not follow after the Lord's way. "The Lord shall send you curses, confusion, and rebuke in every enterprise to which you set your hand, until you are destroyed, perishing quickly because of the evil of your doings by which you have forsaken me [Moses and God as one]" (Deuteronomy 28:20, AMP).
This is the concept of vexation that is linked with our disobedience to the Word of God. There comes a time to leave your wilderness and enter into the next level of prosperity for your life. However, if you will review every one of your wilderness times then you will see that the Word became much more powerful in your life.
I am praying that the heat of summer and the trials of your life do not vex your spirit.
Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
Email: chuckp@glory-of-zion.org
