A CALL FOR DISCERNMENT
Cheryl McGrath
Jan 13, 2003
Dear Friends,
After a short break, we are today resuming posts on the Diggers List for 2003, a little earlier than anticipated. In a following post, I will be sharing some important changes to be made to Diggers this year, as well as some of the ministry activities we are planning here at Great South Land Ministries in 2003.
As I said, I was not planning to resume the Diggers posts until later this week, but due to the urgency of the hour we live in, and the many things we are seeing and hearing on the internet, this post will deal specifically with a matter that the Lord is laying heavily on my heart at this time. As this list is subscribed to by so many intercessors, I feel I have no option but to address a disturbing trend and to clarify our own beliefs on this issue.
In late December, among the many other incoming emails, I received an article outlining a call to intercession, put out by a prominent American ministry. This article deals with intercession to avert the possibility of war with Iraq. In the few weeks since then, I have personally been sent that same announcement by at least four other sources. While there is much I agree with in the article, I must share with you that I am deeply disturbed by some of its content. On the positive side, this message encourages intercessors to be praying for world leaders as they make difficult decisions, and to pray for Saddam Hussein specifically, that he might "leave Iraq and go into exile, that the United States would allow his departure, and that the United Nations would facilitate it." Personally, I have no problem with asking the Lord to do any of these, if it is in line with His sovereign will.
The author of the message goes on to state that in late November the "Holy Spirit woke me up and spoke into my spirit....if we could mobilise 1,000,000 people to pray for Saddam Hussein, that Saddam would simply leave Iraq, thus avoiding war." He then goes on to describe some prophetic images he was shown. Now, this is where, quite frankly, I run into some serious problems. In the past few years, I have seen a number of "calls to intercession" written in a similar vein, from various ministry leaders, and though I have not agreed entirely with them, I have chosen to remain silent. Though I know what I now have to say will be very unpopular, I can no longer stay silent when such questionable messages are being spread widely among Christian intercessors through the internet. I know that many on this list would have read the message I am referring to, which we will not be posting on Diggers. I feel a responsibility in the Lord to make some observations and share my thoughts with you, before you make a decision whether or not to take such things into your heart as from the Spirit of the Lord.
Listen, my friends, neither I, nor anyone else involved in the leadership of Great South Land Ministries, want to see war. I am a mother both of sons and daughters, as well as a grandmother. My own nation is currently debating what it's own role will be in a potential war with Iraq, and at the time of writing, Australia looks ready to make a military commitment. However, I have found nothing in scripture that supports the belief that God grants us the answers to our prayers according to HOW MANY INTERCESSORS PRAY. There is a further concept conveyed in this call to intercessors that troubles my spirit, and it is the idea that IF intercessors pray a particular way, and IF a specified number of them do so, certain results will be granted by the Lord. The implication is that war can be averted according to how many intercessors pray the same prayer and how well they do it.
In my experience of intercessory ministry, and more importantly, in my understanding of the holy Word of God, intercession simply does not work that way, nor does God. The outcome of this kind of erroneous teaching is to place the entire weight of whether or not war comes about on to the spiritual shoulders of intercessors. Prophetic intercession is a very powerful spiritual tool and one that needs to be used wisely by those entrusted with intercessory ministry. However, God has not turned over His sovereignty to anyone else. He is not making decisions about the world based solely on what the intercessors do or how many of them do it. Yes, the Holy Spirit leads us to travail according to the mind and will of God (Romans 8:26-27), but none of us have His whole mind at any one time. To imply that the outcome of events that will shape the future of the whole world will be decided by God according to whether or not ENOUGH intercessors "sign up" to pray a certain way (as the message in point does) are at best irresponsible, and at worst, unscriptural.
The scriptures give a different message - that God is not interested in numbers, but in clean hearts. In fact we're told that he sought for just ONE man to stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22.30), and that even when He found no intercessor, He was sustained by His own righteousness (Isaiah 63.5). He chose the Israelites to be His people because they were the "LEAST of all peoples on the face of the earth." (Deut. 7:6). He rebuked David when He counted how many fighting men he had (2 Sam. 24) and reduced the size of Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300. Why did He do this? "Lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying my own hand has saved me." (Judges 7:7) This is precisely the danger that lies within these increasing number of messages that lead intercessors to believe that IF there are enough of them, IF they can pray hard enough, IF they pray what they've been told to pray by a leader, (rather than hear the Spirit for themselves), God will have no choice but to respond positively. I hope you can see that though this is presented as faith, it is actually based on a doctrine of works rather than faith, because it is presented as something we can earn. Furthermore, if the outcome appears to be successful, the glory is subtly shifted to the great army of intercessors who can say "our own prayers have saved us."
Friends, in my reading of the scriptures, the only times God says "IF you behave in a certain way, I will then RESPOND in a certain way" are in relation to repentance, holiness and following His ways. He spoke to the Israelites through Moses in Deuteronomy 7 and 8 promising them blessing "above all peoples" IF they kept His commandments, statues and judgments, and warning them of judgment IF they did not. "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day, that you shall surely perish." (Deut 8:19)
There is another great scriptural "IF" which many intercessors know off by heart: 'IF my people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14) This is how God deals with His people, and His ways have not changed. It is not about numbers, it is about HOLINESS. If we as intercessors seek to make our voices heard in Heaven, repentance, intimacy and turning away from our own ways to His, are the keys. They may not seem as exciting and important as signing up with a big army and receiving our orders, but Jesus did say that the gate was narrow and the path difficult, and not many would find it.
The author of this article goes on to state with certainty "the United States and its allies will prevail should we go to war", but does not share how he knows this. Should we not be asking has he received a prophetic word, vision or some other insight from the Holy Spirit which has reassured him of this, or is this a certainty based on patriotism? Again, I have no argument with patriotism, but surely when delivering such a prayer directive, ministry leaders should differentiate and clearly explain such statements? If a reassuring message has been received from the Holy Spirit, even if it cannot be shared, we should be told the source. If, however, that is not the case, the Body of Christ should be challenging the confusion of "faith in country" with "faith in God." Friends, no matter how much we may love and support our own nations, national leaders and way of life, no country on earth represents the Kingdom of God. Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3.20) and if we have been born again we have been brought into the Kingdom of the Son (Col. 1:13).
Friends, it is most important that we measure all that is being said to us through the holy Word of God and the Holy Spirit within us, because if we do not make a habit of this we will be deceived. I am aware that what I have shared will upset, offend and perhaps shock many of you, but there are too many "words" and "prayer directives" being given on a massive scale through the internet that simply do not pass the test of scripture. Since this email list was begun some years ago, we have sought always to only pass on to you that which we believed was scripturally sound and worthy of your consideration. I have shared before that a very great percentage of the prophetic articles I see, I do not pass on through Diggers. I know many of you have joined this list because of this practice, because you have written often to express your gratitude that we do discern and sift before we post.
May the Holy Spirit continue to teach us discernment and lead us in wisdom and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Cheryl McGrath
Great South Land Ministries,
southland@greatsouthland.org www.greatsouthland.org