Tag Archive for: restore

Breaking Generational Curses: Restoring Sanity and Finding Peace in Christ

“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 MKJV

I come from a family where my bloodline is marked by insanity and mental health challenges. Living in such an environment and interacting with loved ones who are confused, unstable, and reliant on medications is an incredibly tormenting, exhausting, and traumatic experience—not only for them but also for you because you love and care for them deeply!

I despise the spirit of insanity, the oppressive demons, and the biological weaknesses that leave someone trapped in a state of delusion. Not every case of insanity is demonically inspired, of course; some are rooted in physical weaknesses or brain structure. But regardless of the cause, it is all painful and ugly. Yet, God can heal it—no matter the root. Insanity is, at its core, confusion. And how can someone be at peace with themselves or others when they are so confused and oppressed? We offer them deep mercy and understanding—but not pity—because our faith is in their victory.

Mercy doesn’t mean we compromise our belief in God’s power to heal, restore, and transform them through His love!

I’ve always been amazed at the story of the demoniac, who was filled with legions and became sane, still, and clothed, sitting at the feet of Jesus. He longed to follow Jesus because he had discovered the true light of life—love, and salvation through Christ.

Insanity is not resting in Jesus. It’s like the demonized man, living a loud, chaotic existence, drawing attention to himself, scaring and controlling others, never finding peace or allowing others to have it. That’s insanity. True peace resides in the house of the Lord.

For a long time, I thought only some of my family members struggled with mental health issues! I categorized it: only those who saw therapists or took medication were affected. It never occurred to me that I might carry the same generational curse, albeit expressed differently. I wasn’t on medication for depression, nor had I ever seen a therapist. On the contrary, I seemed sharp-minded, creative, and productive. But my lifestyle was marked by decisions that were, in hindsight, insane. I had confusion in my character and thought processes.

It took an encounter with the Holy Spirit to open my eyes. I realized I was also affected, though it was hidden in a different form. You cannot heal what you don’t recognize, and it takes God to reveal it so He can heal it.

I’m grateful to say I’ve been fully restored after all these years, and I continue to stand in faith for my household, because, as it is written: “I shall be saved with my household” and “I and my household will SERVE the Lord.”

Jesus is still in the business of bringing new beginnings, working miracles, displaying His love, and delivering those oppressed by the enemy. (Acts 10:38)

This too shall pass.

God bless you,
Tony Francis

The Ministry of Intercession in the End Times

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!' And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come, and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

The Bible ends with this verse!

I understand the Spirit and the Bride saying “Come” as the ministry of intercession! It is a heart cry, a prayer asking for the Kingdom of Jesus to come. As we approach the end of this dispensation, prayer, and intercession will be restored and increased to greater levels. It's no wonder that we are seeing houses of worship rising worldwide. There is a growing recruitment of intercessors, driven by the urgent need for intercession because the days are dark!

Are you feeling a deep stirring within you for intercession?

I have personally experienced an accelerated upgrade in intercession. The Spirit within me, as the Bride of Christ, is praying fervently for people and nations. These are often quick prayers, but they are weighty, anointed by the Spirit, and reaching the throne of Grace and Mercy. I find myself interceding for various matters, even while doing the dishes. I hear names—sometimes unfamiliar names—and feel prompted about future events, then quickly partner with the Holy Spirit in prayer. It is increasing! Are you experiencing the same escalation?

The High Priest, Compassion Himself, visited Abraham to invite him to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah. We often perceive God as rushing toward destruction, but He makes every effort to save us. Abraham responded to this divine invitation to intercede with Jehovah, and so will the Bride respond to the nudges of the Spirit. We will gain insight, change lives, and witness the impact of God’s loving kindness and mercy.

You are part of His end-times activity.

I even see, in the spirit, a vision of incense grains sticking to your lips. You are His royal priest, positioned with the Lord, and He is waiting for you to make a difference in your generation and in generations to come because your prayers have a ripple effect that doesn't fade.

God in your prayer life is the X-factor, and no one can surpass Him, just as Nebuchadnezzar declared: “Heaven has dominion.”

It’s time to awaken to your identity and position in Christ as the most authoritative being on earth. It’s time to send and release missiles of glory, power, deliverance, altar-breaking, healing, love, joy, peace, righteousness, sanity to kings, protection, and more.

That's why we invite you by the Spirit to be part of your prayer team, create one maybe at your home, and join our NEWLY launched prophetic intercession ministry called: “The Checkdate”.

God bless you,
Tony Francis

What is the Holy Spirit Saying to the United States of America?

Long before Jesus Christ resurrected Lazarus from the dead after four days, Jesus was already a friend of Lazarus, and nothing could take away that bond. This is the same kind of relationship between the Lord and America. America's death, decay, chaos, and confusion cannot sever the realm of friendship between her and Jesus. Your friendship remains!

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

The relationship between America and the Lord is very special; not many are called friends of Jesus. Friends have benefits and special favors, you know. A covenant in friendship is different from other kinds of relationships. Take, for example, David and Jonathan in the Old Testament.

America will indulge in the benefits of her friendship with Yeshua! This is not a fleeting friendship; it has been there for a long, long time. Jesus holds on to these kinds of relationships.

I strongly sense that the Lord will wipe away the shame from America—its culture, its people, and the Church of America. Shame is on Jesus' table now; it is His priority! I can't be a friend to someone and bring shame to them—I refuse that. I aim to glorify my friends, the dear ones. Yeshua is the Glory and the Lifter of America's head!

As the USA turns back to Jesus, glory will begin to be restored to her. Like Nebuchadnezzar, who was gloriously restored after years of shame and being dethroned, the Word of God says that Nebuchadnezzar's latter days were greater than the former, and God moved mightily after He restored him because he looked up and acknowledged the God of Heaven. (See Daniel 4:34-37)

Will you look up again, America, to Jesus? Your greatness in servanthood began on the Rock of Ages, and God wants to restore that. I see a great fiery move of the Holy Spirit among the young people in America, and this move is beyond anything compared to Azusa and beyond.

Glory to every sector, area, and system in America, God's friend!

God bless you,
Tony Francis

Feel free to pray for America in the comments below and share your prophetic revelations!

Divine Weight Loss Made Simple

We all have struggled with weight gain at some point in our lives, some a little, others a lot. Fat is an enemy that all humanity is waging war against. We have even forged all kinds of weapons against Fat, but sometimes it seems that Fat believes in God and I imagine it decreeing: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” It is funny, right? but not really, because many feel that weight gain is this impossible giant to defeat and fat is more stubborn than hell.

Some were discouraged in their journey of beating fat and being restored to health, strength, and perfect shape, yielding to depression and the giving-up spirit because they DECREED a lifetime decree: IT DOESN'T WORK! God understands your disappointment, and suffering and He is compassionate toward you, but let me also be truthful here: if that was or is your decree, congrats, you trapped yourself in death cycles and whatever you believe for will be enforced and manifest in your life and body.

Not long ago, I had some friends visiting me and we were eating. I had some chips on my table (don't try this at home, haha), and a sister in the Lord ate a tiny amount, and immediately made a death statement after eating the chips: “The chips I ate will be fat now and will work itself to give me some weight gain.” I told her something that renewed her mind of faith and remained with her to this very day. She even reminds me of this beautiful aha moment for her. I told her, “What you declared is a death statement. Why condition your body to believe this will work against you?” Besides the fact that we should consider LIFE decisions in our eating and in everything we do, let's be pro-life for our bodies.

I know what I am saying doesn't make sense to you because God's mercy doesn't make sense either. Mercy means God sparing you an expected outcome and a bad report for your mistakes. We deserve hell, but God's mercy annihilated that because we believed in Jesus. Am I encouraging you to be reckless and stupid in your life choices? Not at all, but I invite you to consider life statements for your shortcomings when you make them.

Don't decree your death sentence with your statements and belief systems. Be pro-life for yourself and live in the mercy realm of God as you keep maturing in life choices and quality decisions.

“They (YOU) will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:18 (ESV)

Make the devil mad today and lock yourself in cycles of life instead of death, judgment, and decay!

All the worldly people think if they eat bad, they feel and look bad, and Christians have the same report, sadly. Don't think like sinners because you have privileges they don't have! God is always spilling mercy over you and making things right for you if you know how to connect with this supernatural covenant by faith.

A couple of days ago, I laid my hands on my belly and inside, it felt like a big mountain to me, literally, haha. God's word says that the last enemy to defeat is death, and I felt that the last part of my weight loss would be for my belly because this is the doctrine I grew up with—that belly fat is the hardest and most stubborn. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “This is the easy part for me and it will go faster than the other fat distributed in other parts of your body.” It seems God likes to work with the odds first, right? That Holy Spirit moment renewed my mind and faith.

Jesus is releasing mercy to you and me night and day because, in this world, we face death a lot, even with a little bit of chips we eat. We need His mercy, His life to break into our death systems and activities. God's grace doesn't encourage us to SIN but to be more holy, remember that. I have to clarify this because maybe some of you still don't get it and think I am encouraging you to go for bad habits.

This is not what I am saying here, just don't partner with death decrees even if you wronged yourself. This is what I am saying because you have the tools to go for life and stay in life!

Some things in life, like chips or fries, are obvious poison, right? But we are partaking of death from the water faucet maybe, or the air we breathe, or the ORGANIC vegetables we THINK are life-giving for us. We need God's mercy for both the obvious poisons (“chips”) we eat AND for what we consider healthy and life-giving. Of course, be mature and avoid what you know is bad. God loves it when we show responsibility according to the measure of knowledge we receive. It is healthy to steward our revelations to be entrusted with more, BUT always depend on God's mercy for life and not necessarily on the good or the bad you do.

Jesus is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!

God bless you,
Tony Francis

Share this word with your community and your opinion in the comments below.

I Have Never Sinned, Can You Believe It?

Have you ever thought about the cross of Jesus? Have you considered what He really did for you? I've always struggled to fully grasp, both simply and deeply, how the blood of Yeshua wiped away my sins and atoned for them. I sing songs about the blood, read scriptures about it, and thank Him for redeeming me, but I've never fully grasped the enormous, life-changing mystery of the Son of God's sacrifice for me and for you!

How do you understand the atonement of sins? What does it really mean for God, you, and the enemy? Does the shedding of Jesus' blood for me mean that I have never sinned? JUSTIFIED, JUST IF I'D NEVER sinned before God and men? Or does it mean I sinned, but God forgave me of my past and is not recording it anymore for my judgment because Jesus took it and paid the price for me? Which scenario is the right one? In Christ, and before God, did I sin or never live a defective life?

To simplify it for you and give you the answer before revealing a huge, life-changing revelation, approach, perspective, and activation: YES, I sinned, and Christ died to redeem me.

I am a sinner, and I need a Savior, just as you do! Now that I have received Christ's wonderful, surreal yet down-to-earth redemption, I have become a new creation, a righteous being who never fell into sin from the beginning. WOW! (We can celebrate right here).

Let me illustrate it with this example and then do an activation with you that is a SHOCKER to your flesh, which is always at war with the spirit.

When a judge stamps a paper to declare someone who was guilty now clean, it means the judge has officially erased the person's criminal record through a process called expungement. This decision makes it as though the crime never happened, allowing the person to move forward without the past conviction affecting their future opportunities, like employment or housing.

This is too much to grasp, right? I know but it is real yet earthly still. Continue reading because what is coming is greater than that and let's invite the Holy Spirit to help us taste God's unfathomable love for us in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, you never sinned before God! Don't freak out now; you can keep thanking God and you should for Jesus, who saved you from your sinful nature. YES, you can and should tell others your testimony of how Christ transferred you from darkness to light and transformed you. I am not telling you to forsake this awesome part of redemption. We will always be grateful and worship the Lord for this INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY that no eyes have seen, ears have heard, or hearts grasped what God prepared for those He loves. No one ever saw this coming, not even the devil. It is not a GOD move if you can perceive it or the devil.

What am I really saying here in the presence of the Lord? I am locked in the realm of thanking the Lord for being my Savior, yet I have come to a place where I am more focused on my righteousness in Christ than my transition from sin.

Many Christians dwell on the cross only and never lock focus with their newly restored nature of righteousness. The cross of Jesus was the door, the entrance to a relationship with God through this righteous nature in Christ Jesus, but many remain at the door. Imagine if I invited you to visit my mansion (I don't live in one and I love small houses) and you remained at my beautiful big gate, thanking me for the invite, contemplating the gold ornament, the bigness of it, etc. Would you be considered sane? The cross was the door and we will forever BE THANKFUL for the entrance, yet it is the inside realm of righteousness that you must awaken to that will revolutionize the way you live before God and men. In Christ right now, you never sinned. You were never a sinner! Jesus became sin so that you may become His righteousness. What part of YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS can't you understand?

It grieves the Lord when you stay at the door and never get acquainted with the inside realms of righteousness that many Christians are not awake to.

In Christ now, you were never GAY! You were never a PROSTITUTE! You never cheated on your wife, and you never killed that neighbor. Look, I understand this is too much to grasp, and it doesn't make sense, and if it does, then it is not a GOD technology. You may tell me, “But Tony, I do feel like I am gay (since this is the greatest now), and I engaged in homosexual experiences with men. The sensation was real, the images, the feelings, the sounds, the touch… I can't get it that in Christ, I was never gay because I was, believe me.”

Thanks for asking! haha. I will answer this one:

You were gay before Christ, indeed, and Christ did save you not just from being gay; actually, He saved you from something bigger and greater, which is a sinful nature. After being saved and entering the door (Christ's Sacrifice), Heaven stamps you as NEVER GUILTY! Can you understand the power of that or what? I sense the power of the Holy Spirit writing this, and I know He is greatly delighted that I am unpacking it for you because it changed my life!!!

NOW, IN CHRIST, you are not considered GAY anymore, and you can't renew your mind if you can't establish your identity first as clean. What do I mean? Glad you asked, again. The Bible exhorts us to CONSIDER OURSELVES DEAD TO SIN and alive to Christ and righteousness. In simpler terms, you should never think again of those past things, and you can SANELY and BOLDLY rehearse day and night: I WAS NEVER GAY, I never went through it, I never did this or that, you name it for yourself, whatever you engaged in before.

The enemy will TRY TO ANNIHILATE the work of the cross by making you sin-focused and not Son-focused.

Jesus took your sinful nature and mine on the cross, and in Him, it was never ours. He paid for it; it doesn't belong to us anymore. Jesus didn't only redeem your nature but your time too because in Christ now you never were or did those things, which means you never lived this lifetime of sin. You had a righteous life from the beginning.

Read this article 1000 times and BEG the Holy Spirit to reveal this dramatic truth to you that Heaven is eager to reveal to mankind night and day. Let me tell you this too before I activate you. If I were the devil and I knew in glimpses that one day you would be a great singer and you would glorify the Lord with this lifestyle, I would have done everything in my power to destroy this from your childhood. I would have convinced you that your voice is bad, you will not match up or improve, others are better, get another career, etc. Say you believed those lies and embraced them and wasted your life derailed from God's original calling and cursed yourself for decades saying I am a bad singer. Guess what? In Christ now, you can say I WAS A GOOD SINGER from the beginning of time and I am seasoned in this gift, but the enemy had me go through this lie experience because I was a potential threat to him if I awoke to that.

Same for you as gay! Your identity, manliness, fatherhood, and mostly authority threatened the devil that he had to create another scenario to derail you. He is a liar! In Christ, you were never gay, and you never lived this experience at all. Until you confess this and align with righteousness and DIE TO SIN, you won't experience this surreal glory yet available.

Each one of you has a story, identify with a sin, so apply what I am teaching you here, and mount to realms you never dreamt of. Next time you say God is good, let it be based on some understanding of what He accomplished for you on the cross. The devil hates the cross!

Let's do an activation here. So I told you in Christ, you are righteous because the bible says so, have a new nature, and time redemption, so rewrite your story in the pen of this truth now (you can type in the comment section). As for me, I will say this:

“I grew up in a godly house, and I have witnessed amazing love, honor, and respect between mom and dad that whet my appetite for godly relationships and surely a marriage and life of commitment. My mom never yelled at me, never ignored me, always there to love on me and comfort me. She always encouraged me and affirmed my identity as a growing boy. She signed me up for activities that built my character and self-esteem and was never controlling of me. She always encouraged me to be bold and serve others. I thank God that I lived in a peaceful home, with no sickness, no disease, no stress or drama. I had a childhood that if told in detail, nobody would believe me. I had a great life growing up. Never miss an opportunity to be served and to serve others. I never went through traumas, no child abuse, no fear, no stress; it was a happy, blessed upbringing.” Amen.

For those who don't get it yet, I lived the opposite, but I am acquainted today that in Christ, I was never guilty because He restored my good nature and lifetime. We lose you as Christians when we move from theory to practicality. Every Christian is excited they are God's righteousness now, but I think many will be offended when they read the practicality of it here.

Go do your activation, believe it, this is not fiction, not at all. “Let it be according to your faith!”

I dare you to share this with your friends and EVEN THEOLOGIANS!

God bless you,
Tony Francis

You Can Workout Without Pain!

The blessing of Adonai is what makes people rich, and He doesn't mix sorrow with it. – Proverbs 10:22.

How was life before the fall? It was like Proverbs 10:22. In the Garden of Eden, Adam lived in a realm of life, and blessing, and never knew toil.

Adam only labored for ONE thing, which was the highest pleasure of toiling for something or SOMEONE; he sought the Lord and walked with Him daily. Adam's mindset was never conditioned to worry about provision because he never awoke in lack, and he never knew it until the fall. It's like when a person is born into a wealthy family and is served with everything night and day. I know it's a simple example compared to Adam's glorious life, but it helps you see a glimpse of his lifestyle!

It was God's original design for you and me because we WERE in Adam, remember? Thank God for our Savior, Jesus Christ, who LABORED again, righteous labor in the GARDEN of Gethsemane, and sweated blood so He could restore us to the BLESSING of life and the mindset of His riches in glory. Those who follow the Lord and are part of His Kingdom should awaken to this truth because they are restored to it, and they should walk in the light of this revelation and the manifestation of this inheritance! Knowing it doesn't mean walking in it because faith secures it for you!

Don't read what I'm not saying, please. God is not inviting you and me to a life of passivity or laziness and opening our mouths wide to be fed by a mama bird. Jesus exhorts us to work as long as it is day!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always ABOUNDING in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58

So if we are restored in Christ, to what exactly did God restore us?

In Christ, the Lord restored you to the blessing that ENRICHES you WITHOUT toiling!

“The blessing of Adonai is what makes people rich, and He doesn't mix sorrow with it.” – Proverbs 10:22

The Holy Spirit breathed mightily on this verse to me not a very long time ago, and it felt like a portal of blessings and EASE opened up for me that I never experienced before. I started believing it, taking God at His word, and praying this verse A LOT, believe me, a LOT. It's part of my daily prayers, and it's manifesting in wild ways for me. One of those ways is my health!

A year ago, the Lord led me to know about intermittent fasting and poured joy, excitement, and grace into me for this. I am enjoying every bit of it and NEVER felt a day I was fasting. It has been more than a year now. I'm not here to list the benefits of IF; you can look it up for yourself. I'm here to testify that the EASE of doing it is crazy. I am fasting for almost 18+ hours every day without feeling like I am doing it; it is His blessing that is enriching me WITHOUT TOILING! You know those moments when you say without a shadow of a doubt, IT IS THE LORD! This is that.

Also, recently, out of nowhere and without planning it, suddenly on my birthday, I had this urge to go outdoors and start walking. You need to know I AM NOT someone who is FOR sports and to respond to this prompting had to be the LORD. I obeyed by faith, and it was a prompting filled with joy and not a religious spirit. It has been a week now that I have been walking daily, and believe me when I tell you THERE IS NO TINY SORROW OR TOILING WITH IT. God's grace is joy-filled!

I am living this verse, or let me say, I am living in the realm of this tangible blessing, and I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit breathed life into it and made it part of my daily routine.

I forgot to tell you that I work out until I feel tired because I don't want to abuse this verse; it says the blessing of the Lord enriches you without pain. You should stop when there is pain, even the slightest feeling of it, or else you are tapping into your effort of MAKING it happen.

Let God rule with His grace in you and through you!

What are the areas you want God's grace, ease, and blessing to land on you? Let's believe with you!

God bless you,
Tony Francis

Share this word with others as your seed.

There is Hope For Your Nation

“When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?' He said, ‘I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals. Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.'” – 1 Kings 18:17-19

Elijah proclaimed to King Ahab that there would be neither dew nor rain in Israel except at his word. This declaration came as a consequence of the wickedness and idolatry prevalent in the kingdom under Ahab's rule. Prophet Elijah knows his bible; he read about the severe consequences of forsaking God's worship and falling into idolatry.

“Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 11:16-17

As long as God remains your source, you remain under his covering and blessings' canopy. It is that simple! God revealed to his people in Deuteronomy 11:16-17 that forsaking him would shut up the heavens and prevent rain, leading to famine, death, and destruction of lives. We understand judgments as bad, but judgment is a good thing because it signals to us where we are spiritually and where we are heading. It is God's mercy for us to notice judgments! We don't even deserve to see his judgments at all. He is a merciful God who always wants to save those who perish. But again, we understand judgment in the wrong way! I will explain to you this before revealing to you the great hope we have to shift our nations back to LIFE and blessings.

I don't see judgment as an event in time when God sees us behaving badly and then he opens the heaven and throws a judgment to teach us a lesson. Most people see God through their lens of anger and misconception of his goodness and wisdom. God's judgments don't work like that in my opinion! I told you earlier, that it is God's mercy for us to reveal judgment to help us navigate back to him and LIFE.

How many lives were saved because their body/health signaled to them something visible that we call symptoms? Maybe someone eats unhealthily all the time but suddenly (it's not sudden, it is an accumulation) that person manifests outward symptoms signaling to him or her that they are doing something wrong inwardly that is unplugging them from life, health, and protection and leading to death, doom, and gloom. THAT WAS A GOOD THING, right? TO SEE IT.

I see God's judgments like that. We are doing something wrong, not according to his nature, word, and will, and then we see the rotten fruits of it and we call it judgment. OH GOD IS JUDGING ME because I did this and that! STOP it silly. God loves you, and it is his mercy that he is revealing to you that you are on the wrong path and he wants you to repent and reroute. Don't you love it when your GPS shows you are going in the wrong direction? If you are sensitive enough and I AM SURE WE ARE ALL SENSITIVE TO OUR GPS, we will respond and engage immediately to correct our paths saving us from all kinds of troubles. No sane person would say, oh wow, my GPS is judging me for going the wrong way, for doing my own will. Your GPS is programmed to help you stay on track, and the signals, voices, and beeps (the judgment) are to help you notice this quickly! Oh judgment is good now that you are seeing it the right way!

God's people lost it, from King Ahab to all the nation, they forsook God and worshiped idols and wrong ideologies. That famine was good! It was an alarming signal trumpeting to the nation that they are no longer connected to blessing. God wants them connected again! That's why he had Elijah proclaim “the judgment” sounding the alarm, giving his people an opportunity to see it as it is and go for repentance to connect back to LIFE because you are made for LIFE, and everything will beep and signal to tell you otherwise.

The judgment reveals to you the wickedness of sin because sin in nature is deceiving and “promises” you a good life. Judgement is God's mercy allowing us to see the truth of the matter.

Let's go back to the opening verse:

“When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?' He said, ‘I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals. Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.'” – 1 Kings 18:17-18

Ahab, the deceived, accused Elijah of causing trouble to Israel by judging them for drought and famine. Elijah was just a spokesman for God; he didn't do it. Elijah was for Israel and not against it; he was a prophet for this reason: to establish truth and bring protection and deliverance. But Ahab lost his mind to deception because he worshipped idols and stopped seeing the truth and who was with him or against him (Romans 1). This happens when we sin; we harden! So Elijah told him it is not me who brought this on Israel but you and your father's house have because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and you have followed Baals. Let's also remember that Omri, King Ahab's father, was also a wicked King and followed this path too.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” – Proverbs 14:34

So God has a solution to this; he wants to SAVE! We know what happens next on Mount Carmel; the solution was presented to Israel.

God demonstrated himself because of ONE man (the Church owes it to people), and the whole of Israel worshipped God again and forsook Baal and slew their demonic prophets, and rain came back! The economy shifted in a day, and life was preserved. But King Ahab DIDN'T REPENT when we continue reading the story, he stayed in alliance with Jezebel. So why would God lift the curse off of the Land?

Elijah said to Ahab that he and his father's house were the reason they brought disaster to Israel. But on Mount Carmel, we see that only the people of Israel repented and not King Ahab and his household who were in leadership. The problem was with Ahab, and Ahab didn't repent on Mount Carmel. Why would God restore the nation to blessing?

I think I understand two things here. God can bring life to a nation if the leadership aligns with him, but if the leadership remains wicked and doesn't want to repent and change the laws and honor God, the Lord still wants to save and have mercy on the people and the land, so he would visit the people of the nation and deal with them to repent. In this story, ALL ISRAEL on Mount Carmel worshipped Jehovah again, but the King of Israel remained wicked, and God saw that BIG and for their repentance overrode the wickedness of the King and restored the land. “When ALL the people saw this, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God!”

If kings and queens of your nations are wicked and don't want to repent, the Church can and must invest anyway in the people of the nation by leading them to repentance through crusades, evangelism, etc. disciplining everyone! This path is what I believe the Church is heading toward.

Revival is coming to the land; people will repent, and we will see God blessing and healing the land again.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” – Acts 3:19

Amen

God bless you
Tony Francis

Let's continue this conversation below in the comment section… What's on your mind?

The Word of the Lord For 2024: Birthing & High Hopes in Business

Jesus Christ is the center of times, and everything the heavenly Father does or proclaims is all centered around His glorious Son, Yeshua, because the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. The following prophetic word glorifies one person only and exalts Him on high because He is worthy!

What is God saying for the year 2024? HEALING.

I believe that the Holy Spirit dropped this beautiful one word in my spirit for what is to come and what the earth is stepping into. God is about the business of healing the earth of the many waves, tsunamis, turbulences, shakings, and storms it tolerated.

I feel in my heart the rise of the peace/shalom/wholeness of the Lord as a high and lifted-up banner over the earth, especially in the marketplace. Why the market?

The marketplace, or let’s refer to it as the business mountain, is on God’s heart big time because God loves services. Jesus’s ministry is all about being a servant to others; He said, “I came to serve and not to be served.” There is greatness in serving and being in lowly places to lift others to a better place of quality of life.

This area, the business avenue, suffered from the attempt to shift it from a place of serving to a place of just surviving fueled by fear and selfishness, and thus its original pure purpose becomes contaminated and moves far from servanthood. God wants and will bring healing to that in Jesus’ name!

The Lord will restore lost dreams, and broken businesses in 2024 and beyond. It is going to be like an explosion and the birthing of new hopes, networks, ideas, and companies, to a place of taking the pampering of humans to the next level. I see in the spirit a move of the Holy Spirit in airplanes and airports. God is going to bring such beauty, wisdom, order, renovation, revolution, and rest to the flying experience. Airplanes will indeed soar this year!

God will back you up in your business this year like never before. As you know, 5784 and 2024 are the years of the DOOR, which means entrance, opportunity, and the King of Glory coming in powerfully.

If God is urging you to start a certain business or upgrade, I don’t think there are better times than that. Let’s discern times and seasons and walk aligned with what Heaven is doing as illuminated people of God, walking in His wisdom, discernment, understanding, and boldness for the glory of the Lord. It is going to be very exciting; believe me, that you will be standing on your tiptoe thrilled with high hopes and the blessings of the Lord.

I totally see the Lord highlighting the business mountain this year, and He is going to land on it and use His Church in this arena in greater integration because what the Church carries from anointing, creativity, wisdom, favor, love, and values orchestrated by the Spirit of Jesus, no one carries!

God means business this year; let’s shake hands and partner with Him!

Amen

Blessed and Happy New Year to you

Tony Francis

You may also be interested in reading this article: 5784/2024 Year of the Kingdom Era Gates of Glory

There Is No Going Around, We Must Go Through!

I had an interesting conversation the other day with my niece and namesake Cheryl (who we call Tulla.)We were talking about life and the things that happen to get us “tied up”, by our own mistakes, sometimes by adverse results of other’s choices and sometimes just by events that happen that are out of our control but still they have the same affect of making us stuck in life.

Tulla and I both love to crochet, (although she is much better at it than I am), her mom (my sister) Diane taught me when I was round 13 years old.

So in our conversation I thought the analogy of yarn seemed to be fitting as I compared our lives to a long strand of yarn, stretching from one end to another. Along the way, there are the inevitable knots that occur, sometimes just one; usually from trying to go too fast or not paying close enough attention to our stitches, but those are easy to fix. Other times there can become a cluster of knots that seem to come from out of nowhere and these are not so easy to fix as they often seem to take on a life of their own, and can be more than frustrating.

We both laughed as we identified with the fact that we could spend hours, even days, trying to loosen, unravel and untie this mess and sometimes the harder we would work at unraveling it, the more the knotted mess would mysteriously grow. The point I was making was that the beginning and the end are distinct and no matter how many knots occur along the way we still end up where God had intended us to be, sometimes despite the knots and sometimes because of them. This reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures in the bible Genesis 50:20, “what was intended for evil, (or to harm me) God will use for good.”

Tulla then said something that really struck us both “yes, and there is only one way to fix the knot, you have to go back through the way you came” there is no other way!” Exactly! I replied!

I sat in silence for a second as I thought about the depth of what she had just said and then she followed up with something we had heard her mom say countless times “there is no way around; only through” referring to going through difficult situations and problems in life. This felt like a very profound moment, almost as if we had uncovered the answer to some mysterious riddle.

I’ve continued to contemplate this and realized that as we journey along the path of life, our disobedience and mistakes can cause knots along the way, tangling up the yarn and diverting us from God's intended path…momentarily. But rest assured there is nothing that takes God by surprise!

When we find ourselves off course, entangled in the mess of our choices or mistakes, it is essential to recognize that we need to go back the way we came. This is what I refer to as “Full Circle Moments” in life where we are given grace and wisdom to untangle our mess.

Just as we patiently and carefully untangle a knot in a ball of yarn, we must retrace our steps, seeking forgiveness, making amends, and realigning ourselves with God's will.

Sometimes, untangling the knots requires humility, as we acknowledge our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions. It may involve seeking forgiveness from others or making difficult decisions to rectify the consequences of our disobedience. Just as we gently pull and separate the strands of yarn to untangle a knot, we must be willing to address the issues that caused the entanglement in our lives.

As we untangle the knots, we gradually find ourselves back on the right path, where we were meant to be. It is a process that requires patience, perseverance, and a willingness to learn from our mistakes. We may need to seek guidance from God's Word, prayer, and wise counsel to navigate through the complexities of untangling our lives.

Ultimately, as we untangle the knots and realign ourselves with God's will, we begin to experience the freedom, peace, and purpose that come from being in the right place once the course correction has taken place. We discover that God's grace is sufficient to redeem our mistakes and turn them into opportunities for growth and transformation.

Just as the untangled yarn becomes a smooth, unbroken strand, our lives can be restored and aligned with God's perfect plan. The journey of untangling the knots reminds us of God's faithfulness, His willingness to guide us back on track, and His ability to use even our disobedience and mistakes for our ultimate good.

I am praying that we will all embrace the process of untangling the knots, trusting that God's loving hands are at work, leading us back to the center of His will, where we can experience His abundant blessings and fulfill the purpose He has for our lives.

Changing the Culture of the Spheres of Influence through the Beatitudes

Changing the Culture of the Spheres of Influence through the Beatitudes y Lilian Schmid – Strategist and Prayer Coordinator for The Prayer Strategy Spheres of Influence International 

Introduction

How can we use Jesus’ Command to “love one another” (John 13:33-34) change the 21st century culture which is affected by sin: every sphere of influence in our society has been corrupted and affected by the ungodly activities which are operating to destroy humanity. Modern life has become multi-faceted and hectic with the following spheres/domains dominating and competing for ours and our families' time, money, affections and ambitions. These spheres or domains are:

  • Business and Finance
  • Government and the Military
  • Law and Justice
  • Faith and Philosophy
  • Creative Arts
  • Education
  • Charity and Not for Profit Welfare
  • Health and Science
  • Media and Entertainment
  • Sport and Recreation

In the Old Testament God promised to mend that which had been lost in the Fall by reinstituting peace on earth. Through Ezekiel, the Lord looked forward to such restoration for his people:

“And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and multiply them, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Ezek 37:26-27).

Peace will come by God’s effort. The result will be material blessing and, most importantly, a mended relationship between people and God. The prophet Isaiah brought a message similar to that of Ezekiel: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Isa 52:7).  God’s peace is integrally related to his salvation, to the restoration of his reign on earth. When God saves, he will restore his kingdom so that those who live under his rightful rule will experience the fullness of his peace.

Jesus entered the world as the one who would fulfil the mission of the Suffering Servant, thus bringing divine peace. Even before Jesus was born, one of his relatives proclaimed what God was about to do: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79)

How the Beatitudes will Bring Change to the Spheres of Influence in Our Society

“The beatitudes reveal to us eight qualities that bring God's blessing: meekness and mercy, poorness in spirit and purity of heart, mourning and hunger, peacemaking and persecution. Jesus highlighted these to offer both encouragement and instruction on living distinctly as his followers in a world with values much different from God's. As we study these qualities and integrate them into our lives, we will receive the blessing Jesus promised to his followers then and now”.
(The Beatitudes: Developing Spiritual Character by John R.W. Stott)

Looking at the Beatitudes as a kind of ladder, an ascent, we can discover some amazing things about spirituality and its fundamental relationship to the world. The Beatitudes have intense significance in a world where many Christians want to change others and the world from the top down, through forced conformity rather than genuine conversion. The Beatitudes are the essence, the lifeblood and beating heart of authentic, ancient and living Christianity. They are (from Mt 5:3-10):

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Beatitudes express the idea that peace comes from peacemakers who are characterised by their poverty of spirit, their ability to mourn for the world, their lack of attachments or clinging to personal rights, their hunger for the healing of the world, their extreme mercy extended even towards their worst enemies, and their purity of heart. Peacemakers, according to Christ, are the instruments who bring peace to the world because they exemplify these characteristics. Change comes from the inside and moves towards the external. Peacemakers are persecuted because they present a challenge to authority which compels from the outside but cannot penetrate the interior.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount begins by talking about the kingdom of heaven. A kingdom has a king, subjects, a place, and the ways of the king and his kingdom. It is where this particular king is reigning. So when Jesus teaches, He is not just advocating rules or giving advice. He is talking about a place or, more accurately, a realm where the ruler is God. And what is God’s kingdom like? What is God like as a king? Who are His subjects? And what are the ways of God? You can see that Jesus speaks about all these things in the Beatitudes. We learn about who the subjects of this kingdom are: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, etc. The true King of this universe is the One who gives the kingdom, who comforts, gives the earth to His children, and so on. Jesus is telling them about the wonder and goodness of living under the reign of God. The creator of this universe is the king of every sphere of influence, Jesus is the author of these spheres and we are the witnesses to bring real changes into them by proclaiming God’s kingdom on each one of them.

How the Kingdom will manifest its Power in the Spheres

First of all Jesus is speaking about the kingdom as a present and future reality. We can truly possess the kingdom of heaven here and now on the earth. We can enjoy the truth of this at least to some extent. The people of the kingdom are blessed. The word “blessed” always implies that the one doing the blessing is God. To be blessed is to be favoured or honoured by God. “Blessed” is a passive term. The one who is blessed is receiving from God His notice and favour. We can bring blessing to others that we meet within our sphere of influence.

So who are those who are blessed in the kingdom of heaven? And why are they blessed? In looking over the Beatitudes, we are immediately struck that Jesus is saying the unexpected, to say the least! The qualities of the blessed on Jesus’ teaching are not at all what we think of when we consider those we believe to be blessed.

To be blessed is to have value as human beings from our (Government), to have good health (Health and Science), to be secure and protected (Law and Justice), have great success in one’s endeavours (Business), creative and artistic (Arts), athletic (Sport and Recreation), freedom of speech and ideas (Faith and Philosophy), rich in Knowledge (Education), helping others in need to live (Charity and Not For Profit Welfare), spreading Christian values through technology (Media). These are the qualities we tend to associate with being blessed.

Jesus brings a new dimension to human life through the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes he teaches us the quality of life that we are hungry for. Every sphere of influence needs these kingdom qualities to be proclaimed in them. The qualities He includes are actually what we would normally consider indications of someone not being blessed! The person who we naturally think is blessed is favoured to have the kingdom of heaven now and a future fullness in comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, etc. The blessing then that these people receive is not to be poor in spirit, mourning, or meek. Rather, the presence of these qualities is thought to be a sign that the person is not cursed, but actually blessed. Paradoxically in Jesus teaching one can be called blessed when they are poor in spirit because being poor in spirit is a sign that she/he is looking for the very thing God the King is giving: His kingdom. You can see that there is a connection in the message of Jesus between the person who is blessed and why they are blessed, where every person who is a witness to Christ in the Marketplace can bring a blessing to these domains or spheres.

God our King desires indeed to bless us, to bless our families, our church, our work. Through our mission we can transform our society by applying the teaching of the Beatitudes through each one of us. We can be a part of bringing the reality of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. To understand that to be blessed here and now is to find we are being made ready to receive all these things forever.

Jesus is telling us about His kingdom. We see that God greatly desires to bless His people in a full and complete way. God is not going to give sparingly – just some comfort, or a small inheritance. And what God is doing in His people now, when He is blessing them, is that He is making them able more and more to hope in, receive, long for, the very riches He is giving. If we are in Christ we are a new creation: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Co 5:17).

So as blessed people:

  • Let us be rich in God’s Kingdom who is the provider of all richness in this wor Colossians 3:16
  • Let us be comforted to be free, Jesus gave us freedom the moment he gave his life on the cross. Galatians 3:1-14
  • Let us inherit the earth because we are sons and daughter of God’s Kingdom. Psalm 2:7
  • Let us be righteous and let God’s light shine through us. Matthew 5:14
  • Let us receive mercy and grace, and be merciful to others Matthew 8:14-17
  • Let us have Jesus’ heart and receive His unconditional love to love others as He loved us. John 3:16
  • Let us be peacemakers and bring unity across the body. John 13:35
  • Let us handle persecution with perseverance; then we may understand the fullness of God’s mercy and grace. John 25:20

Amen.