[revival-fire] Dutch Sheets on Praying for Election 2008

******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! *******    

Forgive me if this has already been sent out on Revival Fire, but this is So important! Let's keep interceding for this election.

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Letter from Dutch Sheets
October 20, 2008

Dear Praying Friend,

In 2000, I wrote the 2nd most important letter of my life—a call to prayer for the elections of that year. I'm now writing what may be my most important letter. I knew the importance of those elections in 2000 was beyond any in my life up to that point and that the spiritual warfare surrounding them would be unlike anything any of us had ever seen. That letter was read by millions of people and I believe millions of them responded by praying. I also believe the prayers turned the tide.

You may question whether President Bush was the right choice; obviously, he has made some blunders in his tenure as president. But two of his decisions alone left no doubt he was God's choice: Roberts and Alito. These two Supreme Court Justices have proven critical in the process of breaking the hold of humanism, death and anti-God agendas that have ruled the Court for 50 years. I assure you that more devastation—the shedding of innocent blood, immorality, decay of the family and an erosion of our godly heritage—has flowed into our nation through that institution than any other door in America. Many times more. The poison allowed into America through their decisions is beyond any of our abilities to articulate. The reality in America is that you don't need to control Congress or the White Hose to rule the nation. You only need 5 people – 5 out of 9 on the Supreme Court. And for decades those who disagree with just about everything you and I stand for have been in control!

In Bush's two terms, the process of turning this around began with the appointments of Roberts and Alito. Now, we win some cases 5-4 and lose some 4-5. (We barely outlawed partial birth abortion. The vote of one judge saved thousands of babies from this horror.) We need one more conservative Justice for a consistent majority, then more to build a strong majority.

In Obama's own words, "the next president will appoint at least one, perhaps two or more Supreme Court Justices." He's right. Almost certainly two or more older, liberal Justices are waiting until after the elections to retire, in hopes of Obama winning and appointing more liberals to replace them. And he certainly would. He voted against the confirmation of Roberts and Alito. So did Biden. And Biden led the fight against Justice Thomas several years back, another of the 4 solid conservatives. Make no mistake about it, the two of them do have a litmus test for Supreme Court Justices, and a major part of that test is Roe vs. Wade. McCain and Palin, on the other hand, both have very strong pro-life positions. This alone makes the choice for President simple. To vote for the 2nd and 3rd most liberal senators (Obama and Biden), both of whom are firmly and blatantly proabortion, would be unconscionable. Obama has actually said that if he wins, he would like h is first action as president to be the signing of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would eliminate every other law against any aspect of abortion (partial birth abortion, parental notification, etc., etc.). And with a democratic majority in the House and Senate, pretty much any legislation he and Biden want to pass will be a slam-dunk. There are many other unrighteous positions they hold but this position alone makes the choice easy. If they win this election, it will set America back decades in the cause of life and the restoration we seek.

Just as many of you do, I too, want to see a first black President, but not Senator Obama. To allow that noble and godly desire, the economy or one's position on the war to trump this issue of life and death for the innocent unborn is simply wrong. The scriptures teach that if we choose first to exalt righteousness and turn from evil, God promises to heal our land (see Proverbs 14:34; 2 Chronicles 7:14). It is righteousness that exalts a nation, not wealth, prosperity or armies. If we will finish the process of removing the curses of death and anti-God laws off of America by electing a president that will continue to shift the Court, God will grace us with breakthrough in other areas such as the economy, the war against terrorism, etc. My faith is not in a person, and certainly not a political party, for the healing of America, but I know God's word and His ways well enough to know that our decisions do move Him to action or inaction.

Now to the heart of my reason for writing this letter . . .

. . . I now feel the need to raise my voice. I am appealing to you to pray for these elections the next two weeks like you've never prayed for any in the past. Faithfully. Passionately. Boldly. Ask God for His mercy and grace.

We deserve His judgment for removing His influence and authority from our government, schools, homes and businesses; for the killing of 50 million babies; for leading the world in the consumption and exporting of pornography; for passing laws to reject His; etc. But mercy triumphs over judgment and in His wrath He remembers mercy. In 2000 we actually lost the popular vote and won the election—talk about grace! Please pray for this grace to be released again.

But I am also asking you for something more than normal prayer. For those of you who understand spiritual warfare, I am asking you to also include this aspect of prayer. There is no doubt that we have entered a Daniel 10 moment in time: "Then he said to me, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia'" (Daniel 10: 12-13 NAS). The spiritual warfare in this election is incredibly fierce, and just as it was in Daniel's day, is all about the restoration of a nation. And also like Daniel, we must keep praying until we win the battle in the heavens.

In August of this year I predicted that September would mark a shift in momentum for these elections. This happened with the appointment of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential nominee (who is a true Esther in our generation), but when the economy began its meltdown and the media ramped up their unprecedented attacks on Palin, that momentum wasn't sustained. But we can see it turn again if we approach this battle as the spiritual warfare it truly is and bind the evil forces involved (see Matthew 16:18-19). The reality is that this election can be the breakthrough we need to fully shift the Court (and ultimately our nation) or it will be an immeasurable setback that could take many years to reverse—if ever.

Please understand what I am saying: if we engage in this battle and do what I am asking—in mass—we will win; if we do not, we will lose. I, for one, don't intend to allow the latter. I am in Washington, D.C. now (October 20-22) with Lou Engle and a team of prayer leaders from around the nation to war for this election. Join us! Lose some sleep, miss some meals—pray! Pray like never before for these elections. And as you do, involve yourself not only in petitioning prayer but also in spiritual warfare. Use your God-given authority over the plans and strategies of satan's kingdom. Bind all witchcraft that is working to control the outcome, including occultic powers that are suppressing truth. Release Christ's Kingdom rule in every way the Holy Spirit leads you.

Don't be deceived and don't lose hope (if you have to, turn off the TV.) It is not too late to turn these elections. God is plenty powerful enough to do so. The real question is will we rise to the level of prayer and spiritual warfare necessary to release that power. And remember, we don't need a majority of Christians who are willing and able to do this—only a praying remnant. We can do it!

Here are some practical suggestions to consider:

1) Fast (a meal a day; a day a week; a Daniel fast; 3 days; 10 days; TV; etc.) and spend the time praying.

2) Agree in prayer with someone everyday for God's will to be done.

3) Form/participate in prayer groups regularly. Churches could pray everyday.

4) Take time in every gathering to pray. (Take 15 minutes in every service to pray for the elections. Turn an entire service to harp and bowl style intercession—worship and prayer combined.)

5) Join 2 or more on a conference call and pray for 15, 20, or 30 minutes.

6) Pray on the way to work (and on the way home).

7) Pray before you go to sleep.

8) Pray before church services.

9) Ask God to give you His strategy—He will!

In His grip,

Dutch Sheets
(Due to IRS rules, this letter is from me personally and is not from any of the ministries I am associated with. (Also because of IRS rules, I can not send it to my ministry database and therefore need your help in getting it out.) Do with it as you see fit, but my desire is that you forward it to as many praying friends as possible.)
 
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95XxAVob3TQ
 
A WORD FROM LOU ENGLE:

They came like waves crashing onto the shores of California. Leaving behind a legacy of glory and apostolic influence, great manifestations of the power and love of God broke in on past generations of hungry saints. Waves of God's great presence cascaded upon her shores in 1906, 1919, 1947, 1948, 1967, 1971, 1980, and 1994. These waves are California's revivals. In the midst of unspeakable decadence, corporate greed, cultural trend setting, and global pornographic exportation, there lies deposited deeply below California's crusty surface gold-there's oil in her hills. Something continually draws God to the scene. Could it be that God is drawn to her pain? Maybe God sees her shores as hosting planet's lost prophets with misplaced passions or maybe he is drawn to the cry of her wandering masses. Whatever be the case, He comes, and when he does, the entire world is changed. The tongues of fire that erupted a t Azusa have lit up the world. The revivals sown in Hollywood loosed great evangelists like Bill Bright and Billy Graham. The Jesus Movement gave us Calvary love songs that have kissed the youth of the globe. The new wine of worship and healing came from California's vineyards. These ancient songs awaken us from our nightmare and remind us something that was and can be again. Hollywood, the "woman at the well", could become the great evangelist again in these last days.

In 1946, Franklin Hall launched a fasting and prayer movement out of San Diego with a book called Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and Prayer. Thousands were stirred to enter into extended consecration fasts. Shortly after, the great healing revival broke out in 1947, followed by the campus revivals, and the Hollywood revivals in 1948. In the very same year, across the globe in the heart of the middle-east, by God's divine mandate Israel was again called a nation. Could there be that there was a connection between what God was doing in California and the orchestrating of His divine purposes in the creation of the nation of Israel? Is it possible that the outpouring of God presence and the igniting of prayer in California were in reality connected with God's heart to birth an entire nation? I believe it was global Joel 2 moment in which the scripture promises that after the fast, God would restore the land and pour out his spirit on all flesh. I hear TheCall again; "Gather the people, call a fast, and afterwards I will pour out my spirit."

Now 50 years later, California sits within a fog of Jezebel confusion. Recently the Supreme Court of California disregarded the votes of the people and legalized homosexual marriage. The entire world listened attentively as the mayor of San Francisco boasted, "As California goes, so goes the rest of the nation. Its inevitable, this door is wide open. It's going to happen whether you like it or not. This is the future, and its now." The world is looking to California for moral leadership while California finds herself caught in the snare of idolatry and self-worship. Recently I received an urgent call on behalf of hundreds of pastors admitting that California wouldn't be saved simply political petitioning and confessed the reality of an ongoing spiri tual battle within the state and the need to mobilize for mass fasting and prayer. They asked us to bring TheCall to San Diego, not knowing that we received several powerful directives from the Lord a year ago that TheCall was going to go to the stadium in San Diego.

This bill mentioned is a reflection of how far down the line we have come in removing the very moral foundations that preserve society. The moral levies in America are breaking and once marriage is redefined, it will be a matter of time before the entire structure of morality collapses within our nation. In one sense, this bill mirrors our own inward moral concessions as a church to the prevailing culture, and it is the fruit of a compromising silence that has failed to confront the rising spiritual and political contenders. But it is not too late! This is not a time for hiding in caves. This is a time to resist mightily the spirit of peaceful coexistence and apathetic resignation in the face of this prevailing darkness. We are coming to a Mount Carmel moment, which I believe could be the church's finest hour where she challenges her own compromise and then gains authority through prayer and action which is her true vocati on. Then our light will break forth like the dawn and truth will no longer be trampled under the feet of renegade kings and judges. The church is not at the mercy of political decrees of destruction. Jesus is the Lord of history! Though these decrees stand today, they will not stand forever. God is the one who reverses the edicts of man, using the church as an agent of righteous revolution to displace kings and overthrow their decrees through the weapons of fasting and prayer.

Therefore, we are summoning believers from all across the state of California and the nation to gather for a Joel 2 moment. When there is no remedy, when there is no natural hope, God still has a holy prescription. Blow the trumpet in Zion, gather the people, and call a fast. Let the believers of this great state gather and cry out to God believing that California could become the flash point of real change in America not the open door to societal collapse. Let us return to the fasting praying womb in San Diego and seek the face of God on November 1st, 2008 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.

LOU ENGLE

www.thecall.com

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