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