In April 2017, the Holy Spirit sparked an urgency in my spirit to sound an alarm for France.
It would be the first of many alarms He would lead me to sound in efforts to gather intercessors to cover the revival history-rich nation. I could not see the entirety of the enemy’s plan at the first stirring, but I heard the Lord say:
The enemy has marked France for destruction because of its spiritual heritage. If My intercessors will rise up and build a spiritual wall around the nation—raise up impenetrable borders around the country through repentance and praise—I Myself will raise up a standard that will stem the tide of this onslaught.
I Myself will rise up and cause France’s enemies to be scattered. I Myself will empower the politicians and police with strategies to eradicate terrorists from the land and thwart future attacks. I Myself will do it.
So begin to pray now with greater fervor because lives are at stake, economies are at stake and your spiritual heritage is at stake. Begin to cooperate now with My grace, My agenda and My plan for your nation, and I myself will fight with you and for you.
Fast forward about two years, and I received yet another warning in 2019. When I stepped into Paris, I heard the Lord say, “France on fire.” Within weeks, Notre Dame burned in front of the eyes of the entire world. The devastating fire in France’s capital made headlines in Christian and secular media alike. As I reported on this drama for Awakening magazine, I was not convinced in my spirit that it was the last strike against France. And so we kept watching and praying.
Judge the Warning
How do you handle warnings that seem too hot to handle? With the wisdom of God and a good dose of common sense. The first thing I do when I hear a warning of destruction is to judge the warning. There’s a disturbing trend in the body of Christ with new prophets rising up without much training or understanding of the ways of God or how to judge a prophetic encounter.
What we’ve seen in recent years is Christians releasing second-heaven revelation that is breeding fear in the body of Christ. A second-heaven revelation is something the enemy shows you. It’s usually scary and has no hope or redemption in it. Remember, the principalities are raging in the second heaven, whereas God reigns in the third heaven. Revelation from God originates in the third heaven. Revelation from the enemy comes from the second heaven.
Again, second heaven dreams, visions or voices will offer dire representations of what “God is going to do” or the destruction that is to come without any hope. Second-heaven revelation is laced with fear, offers no strategy or way of escape and knocks the wind out of people. The vain imagination that hits the minds of less experienced watchmen is, “What’s the use of praying?”
Make no mistake, second-heaven revelation is not revealing the will of the Lord but the plans of the enemy. Remember, when the Lord gives a warning of destruction His intention is for intercessors to rise up and push it back. God always provides a way of escape (see 1 Cor. 10:13).
Look for the Redemption
Next, look—or listen—for the redemption of God. Yes, ultimately there are times when God’s judgment will fall. There comes a day when enough is enough, and there’s no averting God’s decision. We see this with Nineveh. God sent Jonah the prophet to release a warning to the ancient city, knowing the king and his people would repent. God was right.
Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes (Jonah 3:4-6).
The king took the alarm seriously and issued a proclamation that every person and every animal would enter a time of fasting in hopes of turning away the Lord’s fierce anger. As a result, the Lord spared Nineveh—for a season. But Nineveh, like Israel, turned back to its wicked ways and was ultimately destroyed in 612 B.C. by a Babylonian-led coalition.
While the “France on fire” word was not a warning of judgment, it was a warning of destruction. So my first course in handling a word that’s too hot to handle is to find God’s underlying plan. In the first France warning, years earlier, God said, “The enemy has marked France for destruction because of its spiritual heritage.” But He also gave hope of averting the enemy’s plan through intercession and promised to involve Himself in the battle and fight for France.
In my book Prophetic Protocols & Ethics, I offer a protocol I titled, “Do Seek God for Redemption Amid Hard Words.” I’ll share that protocol with you here:
God is a God of redemption. After all, in Christ we have redemption through His blood, and forgiveness of our sins according to His riches in grace (see Eph. 5:7). Over and over in the Bible, we see Scriptures pointing to the redemptive nature of God. Here are just a few to drive the truth home.
Colossians 1:14 says, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” And Titus 2:14 says, “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” And “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
God is not just a God of redemption under the New Covenant. He has always been a God of redemption. The Old Testament Scriptures prove it. Psalm 111:9 tells us: “He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.” And Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
What does it mean to redeem? The Greek word for redeem is lutroo. According to The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon, it means to release on receipt of ransom, to redeem, liberate by payment of ransom, to liberate, to cause to be released to one’s self by payment of a ransom, to redeem, and to deliver from evils of every kind, internal and external. God is good. He is a redemptive God.
Pray Before Releasing a Warning
Next, pray into the warning. By that I mean pray and ask the Lord to share more. He may or may not, but sometimes you have not because you ask not. Be spiritually curious and ask the Lord for additional prophetic intelligence that can help you pray more effectively.
With the “France on fire” word, for example …
Click here to read more. {eoa}
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