Forerunner Sacred Charge

Since coming back from onething08 I have really struggled to articulate to anyone what transpired in my heart. The very last thing I want to do is try to explain it and received the blank stare *blink* blink*, lol. So for the most part I've sat on my news trying to process it myself. Everyday more revelation comes and I am more and more blown away by the call on my life. I don’t say that to imply that I am superior to anyone, if anything it's making realize just how LOW I really have to go in order to fulfill this calling.

The very last night of onething I came in late after finalizing some things at our booth. Finally finding a seat with our group they announce that they'll be taking up an offering the support the missionaries at the International House of Prayer in KC. Leaving for this trip I had enough in my account for ONETHING expenses and then a new cell phone. I've been in dire need of a new phone as mine current one is completely unreliable. In addition I decided that my next phone would be an international phone so I'd be ready and geared up to go to the nations in '09. Sitting there before the offering was collected; I asked the Lord how much I should give. He threw a few numbers out there and I have no doubt He was testing my reaction. I want and NEED a new cell SO badly!!! But I knew could not pass up on the opportunity to sow into such a great organization like IHOP. Each amount He suggests being greater than the previous. Finally the Lord tells me an amount that will make my cell phone purchase impossible!

I REALLY struggled but knew in my heart I was not going to say no to Abba. There is no way I could ever out-give Him. All of the sudden something began stirring in my spirit, almost like the spirit of travail coming on, but different. I assumed something huge was getting ready to go down corporately but it was ALL about me! After I gave the money I silently wept because it really was a great sacrifice for me but also I could feel the Lord getting ready to minister to my heart. For years I had been giving and sowing but honestly had yet to see a great return. However this time I knew I had to sow and I wanted to with all my heart. I heard the lyrics to the song currently being played, “where you go I’ll go, what you say I’ll say, what you pray I’ll pray.” I KNEW that Lord was encouraging me. WOW! I could literally FEEL Him drawing me into more intimacy with Him at the VERY moment. The apathy that was in my heart most of the week quickly melted away and was completely gone. My heart was so tender toward Abba and then He began to speak to me:

I am calling you to radical living. You are going to change the world. Depend on me. Authority only comes from me. Revisit Matthew 18:23. Commanding Violence. I have your boarding pass. Get Ready. Be ready to take the kingdom by force! Fragrance. You are a magnificent fragrance in my nostrils. Rise up. Come higher. Go down deeper. Extinct the sin.

This only made me weep even more because the last two weeks had been so hard. I had been dealing with CRAZY warfare, warfare that in my 13 years serving the Lord I had not encountered. It blew my mind that in the midst of all THAT He could speak these words to me.

Next Mike Bickle spoke about Forerunners. Mike Bickle gave a "sacred charge" to any who distinctly felt the calling to be a forerunner like John the Baptist was, preparing the way for the Lord's return. Above and beyond the simple disciplines of Christianity, this 10-year minimum commitment to "eating the scroll" and devouring the Word of God related to the end-times. (Rev. 10)

Here are the seven things a Forerunner committed to walk out:

The Sacred Charge: 7 Commitments of a Forerunner
Friends of the Bridegroom preparing the way of Jesus’ Second Coming

1. Pray daily: spending 2 hours in prayer and Word (Book of Revelation once a week for 3 years)
2. Fast weekly: setting your heart to fast 2 days a week as a lifestyle
3. Speak boldly: standing as a faithful witness in allegiance to Jesus’ heart for the Church, Israel and the nations
4. Do Justly: doing works of justice focusing on the fatherless and oppressed
5. Give extravagantly: giving to the prayer movement (beyond our tithe)
6. Live holy: walking out the Sermon on the Mount and keeping the Purity Covenant
7. Lead diligently: leading weekly prayer meetings and Bible studies (focused on training forerunners)

As wrote the 7 point down I thought to myself,"Wow, very admirable. These Forerunners are HARDCORE." Then I FEEL it. Nest I hear the Lord say, "Get ready to go up. That's you!" They weren’t even doing an alter call yet!!! I sat there in my seat thinking, "No way Lord! This is not me! This commitment is SERIOUS and I don't make play-play commitments." As I sat there in a one-sided argument with the Lord Mike Bickle does and alter call and I just KNEW the Lord would physically pick me up and place me up there if I don’t move! I was so offended! I argued with the Lord. How can He ask so much of me?!?!? This Forerunner thing was WAY over my head but I heard the call and I knew this was why He gave me that personal prophetic word just 15 minutes earlier. He was preparing me for this very minute! From the moment I sat down He was preparing me for this alter call! I literally dug in my bag for a pack of tissue because I KNEW what was about to take place and, sure enough, I bolted out of my seat, went down to the altar and bawled my eyes out for 10 minutes still arguing with the Lord. Finally I surrendered and I just melted in Father.


Shortly after being up there I found Allison behind me. ; Both of us we balling our eyes out. Once I got back to my seat I just wailed!!!!!! In the midst of dealing with intense warfare, here I was answering this major call from the Lord. I guess it makes sense. I knew another level in the Lord was coming for me b/c of the new level of opposition.

I didn't make these seven commitments out of a sense of duty thinking that God would not accept me if I did not take up the charge, but out of a sense of love and desire to walk in the fullness of what God has called me to. It was such a powerful thing to experience, and I felt that it was a defining moment for me, in history and for the end-time prayer movement.

Lord, make me a laid-down, lover totally surrendered to You.