“Master, Don’t You Care if We Drown?” OR (Lose the Election?)
I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings at this time, as America finds herself in a great stormy squall that has overtaken our nation, our constitution, and our rights as voters (some voters). I totally realize that I will probably get many dislikes, many rebukes and many emails stating how wrong I am. However, this has been the beauty (thus far) of being able to have “Freedom of Speech,” but sadly this too is slowly eroding and corroding away. Please finish this whole article before you cast a stone, my friends. I felt the absolute need and urgency to send this out ASAP.
Here are some of the emails and phone calls I have been receiving regarding this election:
- What is going on?
- I’m so afraid – we are in jeopardy!
- The prophets spoke – what happened?
- What is God doing?
- Didn’t He hear our prayers?
- Why is this happening?
- We didn’t pray hard enough!
I can sum it up all in Mark 4:35-38 as the Lord gave me this a few weeks ago, and I would like to express and confess this to you at this time. Let’s read it:
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
There is so much here that represents what we are experiencing, what we are seeing, and what we are literally living through in real time. I know that God has called me to be a “Watchman on the Tower,” and I want to share with you what I see at this time as well as what I am watching.
We see in the preceding chapters of the Gospels—BEFORE the Calming of the Waters—Jesus, as the Messiah, Jesus, as the Teacher, Jesus as the Healer, and Jesus who demonstrates His authority and identity in a profound and real way where the disciples were up close and personal as first-hand witnesses.
Jesus Turns Water into Wine – John 2:1-11
Jesus Heals an Official’s Son at Capernaum – John 4:43
Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit from a Man – Mark 1:21, Luke 4:43
Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law – Mathew 8:14, Mark 1:29, Luke 4:
Jesus Heals Sick & Oppressed at Evening – Mathew 8:16, Mark 1:32, Luke 4:40
First Miraculous Catch of Fish – Luke 5:1-11
Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy – Mathew 8:14, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-14
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Paralyzed Servant – Mathew 8:15, Luke 7:10
Jesus Heals a Paralytic – Mathew 9:1-18, Mark 2:12, Luke 5:17-26
Jesus Heals a Man’s Withered Hand – Mathew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son from the Dead – Luke 7:11-17
Now, Jesus weary from a very long day of teaching, praying, healing, and mentoring told His disciples – “Let’s Go to the Other Side.” Please hear this because I believe Jesus is already given a promise for us in this nation of reaching the other side. He already gave clear instructions, directions, directives, and assurances in reaching the place of victory, of history making, and of seeing our nation under God once again through President Donald J. Trump. He already spoke the Word telling His disciples we will be over there shortly.
I see many of us screaming, crying, and in terror for Jesus to wake up as He is sleeping ever so soundly in the place of peace and blessed assurance that His Father has this, and nothing can thwart His divine purpose.
I love this picture of Jesus sleeping soundly, comfortably, and securely.
Remember, my Christians Saints, when God/Jesus states something you can be well-assured nothing, nor no one can and will thwart (prevent, stop, foil) the plan of the Lord’s (Job 42:2) in reaching the other side. The Lord’s purpose will always prevail reaching the other side NO matter what the eye sees in the natural, no matter what is being out-maneuvered (manipulated, schemed and plotted) because the Lord works out everything for His own end (Proverb 16:4) and that was to “Reach to the Other Side.”
Now it states in Mark 4: 35 – “a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat.”
Let me explain what a furious squall literally means in the Greek: A whirlwind, tempestuous wind, earthquake, squall. It was not just a few high winds and waves BUT a cyclone of a storm that came out of NO-where. It was suddenly, shockingly, unexpectedly that harsh waves of the sea overcame them and engulfed their boat with water, putting them in grave jeopardy, peril, and danger. Surely this was something they did not expect to happen as they had just been a part of Jesus’ ministry of healing and calling people to life, liberty, and to pursue truth in Him.
Being expert and experienced fishermen, they have been in many of storms but had never been in or seen a storm such as this one. Rarely does a major storm happen at this time and particularly when they had Jesus their teacher, healer, and Savior in the boat with them when all should be well. They had not just the promises but the Promise Keeper with them.
Please envision this with me: Jesus deeply sleeping as this tempestuous squall is happening, the boat is severely and fiercely rocking to and fro, the water is soaking everyone and everything including Jesus, and the disciples. I’m sure, they are screaming, maybe some even crying, but surely yelling loudly in panic and fear. Feelings of all their hopes, miracles, and faith from that extraordinary day seem to slowly evaporate into clouds of watery and wet eyes of dread and terror. They were looking death right in the face. And yet, our Precious Lord is steadfast asleep from the day of victory, weariness, and triumph. Jesus is surely in a place of safety and comfort—in His Father’s Presence.
So many are in fear and dread of our situation and circumstance with Trump and the election. So many are engulfed with anxiety. I want to encourage you as a Watchmen on the Tower: Just wait and watch! Just wait and watch for Jesus will rise and rebuke the wind and say to the waves: “Quiet! Be Still!”
Then, He will turn toward YOU and ask you: “Why are you so fearful?” and “How is it that you have no or little faith?” The storm did not disturb or disrupt Jesus’ sleep. I believe Jesus wanted His disciples to exercise what they saw just a few hours beforehand—the proof, the evidence, and the reality of the One who did the impossible—the One who raised the widow’s son from the dead, the One who cleansed leprosy, and the One who even taught them to pray line-by-line.
What is the Father saying here in this time? Why do you think He is allowing these events to unfold this way since November 3, 2020 Election Day? Were all the prophets wrong? Did He not hear the righteous prayers that avail much in this time?
What I can say for sure: Jesus is still in the boat with us. He gave us specific orders and directives: Take the boat to the other side. No matter what you experience, see, and unfold in front of you, hold fast to God promise(s). I am doing just that because I believe President Donald J. Trump will be re-elected after everything is said and done. Also, the truth will prevail, things will be uncovered, discovered, and recovered because God is a God that will NOT be mocked. Everything has been such a fight for this President in these last 4 years. Did we really expect it to be an extremely easy and simple thing to “Drain the Swamp?” We need to come together in prayer and hold fast to the sounds of God’s Promises. It is not time to surrender the white flag. It is not time to dissolve into tears and despair. Instead, it is time to put your combat boots on and march into the War Room of Heaven and Hell to take back what the enemy has stolen. Do not give in nor give up because God is in the Boat with us and He said, “Let’s Go to the Other Side.” This is not about us—it’s all about HIM and what He has called YOU, ME and this Nation under God to do.
God is calling US—Christians—to put our fighting gloves on in the spirit as well as speaking out our support for our President, Donald J. Trump. I am so sure you will have family, Christian friends, and neighbors become really mad at you and even say and do some harmful things, but my people parish for a lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6 – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge. Look to investigate the fraud, the stolen and misplaced ballots, the machines in the states that fix the votes and find witnesses. Don’t just swallow all that is being reported to you.
Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint but blessed is he who keeps the law. God is calling us back to the basic truth of His Word.
John 8:32 – And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Freedom only comes with His truth and the truth is we are under a corporate stronghold of lies and a corporate stronghold of corrupt power from the media, the left, and Antifa. They have an agenda, and they want us to drink the Kool-Aid.
Whereas Jesus is calling us to life and life abundantly here in America. Then we can see true reformation and revival, His glorious favor resting upon us to be that beacon of light and hope for other nations.
In conclusion, after Jesus quietened the storm and stilled the waters, the disciples experienced another type of terror, and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
They were coming into realization and comprehension of this One by the question, “Who is this?” Yet they had much to learn from, to seek after, and to grow in the knowledge of the Lord, the Savior, and the Ruler of all. Having come through this very fearsome incident of the storm was the One that would write upon their hearts the majesty, the supremacy, and the sovereignty of their Messiah, of Jesus who took complete lordship over the realm of nature making His disciples very certain of His divinity.
I believe that is what He is writing upon our hearts in this “Storm of this Election:” that we will see Jesus in His divinity. The Good News here is we are having front-row seats to stand in the gap for our nation, for our President, and for what God has spoken to His Prophets. If we are to remain steadfast followers, steadfast to His promises, and steadfast to His Word, the Body of Christ needs to learn to fight the good fight because today our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his evil plans. These are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness, so Paul warned the believers we had better put on the whole armor of God to be able to withstand the tricks and deceptions of Satan. This is the fight we are in!
I would highly encourage you to listen to Lance Wallnau, November 6, 2020, YouTube titled—”Don’t be Intimidated”—a must see.
My Ears Are Filled with the Sound of Promise
Are your ears filled, packed, and stuffed with the sound of God’s promises for you, your family, and for us as a nation? If your ears are not packed or jammed with the sound of God’s promises for you, then my strong recommendation is to begin filling up your ears with His sound of promise(s). There are so many promises God has given to us BECAUSE His very nature and character is a Promise Giver and a Promise Keeper. God’s promises are always absolute, reliable, enduring, everlasting and without end, my friend.
Know that YOUR only hope rests upon His promises – not the government’s promises, not any political party’s promises, and not any race, color or creed’s promises. All of God’s promises were fulfilled in Christ, our Lord and Savior—in Him alone! Remember, God’s promises are a “sure-thing,” the “only sure thing,” and the “everlasting sure thing.” So again, my friend, fill and pack your ears with God’s sound of promises in this strategic time in our nation, in our church, in our family, and in our culture.
Life as we know it right now in America, seems chockfull with a great many setbacks, with lack of jobs, finances, families split, and our culture divided and burning. There are a great many disappointments and a great amount of upheaval in so many circumstances and situations.
This finds us depleted and scrambling for answers, for true truth and for assurances. Our world today, as we hear and see, is filled all around with a lot of “Words, Promises and Rhetoric” from politicians and theologians stating their guarantees and their slogans of their truth fulfilling narratives.
Thank God, for our God, who keeps His Word always, constantly, and continually because He never changes – Hebrews 10:23 tells us, “God who promised is faithful.” His promises keep us going, encourage our hope, feed our disappointments, and water our commitment to keep moving forward with great expectations and optimistic outlooks. The setbacks, the hindrances and the difficulties are giving ALL of us opportunities and openings to move into fervent prayer, into true repentance, and into true soul-searching of God’s narrative and of God’s promises. Our ears need to be filled with the sound of His promises ONLY!
He is calling YOU and ME to go deeper into His Presence, into His Power, and into His Peace. He is calling YOU and ME to receive His revelation of His Holy Presence, to recognize His promises, and to rely upon Him alone because He cannot lie, and He is a promise-keeping God.
These disturbing times and seasons we are in are not taking God unawares nor by surprise. He is very aware and very conscious of our nation and culture being in crises. He is looking to me and you to step into our place and station to intercede, to intervene, and to repent on behalf of all the injustices, sins, and crimes that have flooded our world at this time.
We all need to be promoted to the rank of warrior and soldier, as part of the Christian armed forces moving in the heavenly realms and below in this earthly realm. Join the battle for our nation, this generation and for this culture as it was founded under God, the only True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Without doubt, our nation was founded on the Declaration of Independence, the Paris Peace Treaty, and the Constitution. Henceforth, my friends, these documents are conclusive and full of proof that America was initiated, founded, and established as a Christian nation. We need to get back to our roots as Christian believers who hold these certain unalienable rights endowed by our Creator.
Our Declaration has many references to God throughout the document and here are some:
- Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God
- Appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World
- With a firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence
Did you know that from 1775 to 1784 the Congresses of the United States issued sixteen separate spiritual proclamations, calling Americans to humble themselves, fast, pray and give thanks to God? Congress issued spiritual proclamations in which they asked citizens to seek the Lord in one of the darkest moments of the nation’s history.
Imagine this if President Trump, Mitch McConnel, Mark Meadows, Lindsey Graham, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer to name a few would come on national TV on all stations of the local news and issue all Americans to pray, to humble themselves, fast, and seek the Lord for His enlightenment and truth for our nation and to use the Bible as our sure foundation once again!
He is looking to YOU and ME to enter His Holy of Holies with a passionate and ardent heart of prayer. How much are you seeking Him, how much prayer-time are you praying for our times in our nation and culture? How much “knee-time” have you been giving to Him? How much are you staying in His presence to hear and receive His truth of promises? Are your ears filled with the sound of God’s promises for our nation?
We are in the middle of a war on almost every front, whether it is with the high-pitched fever in the different political arenas, our war on black lives matter and a war on blue lives matter. The war on our spiritual heritage, on our constitutional heritage, and the war of our media (or lack thereof), the war on Academia and the war in the Body of Christ. I think we have hit every mountain that is at war and is being jeopardized with civil and spiritual unrest.
For many of us believers, we could be in danger by looking back, by standing still, by giving up, by falling short, and by listening to our own narrative and not God’s. That is why it is imperative to fill YOUR ears with the sounds of God’s promise(s), to know what we are called to do at this time as sons and daughters of the Most High God and to know what His high commands and demands are for us in this season. To know God’s promises and to meditate upon those promises, so we can have hope, comfort, and assurance in order for our spirits to be revived, restored, and replenished in these perilous times is our utmost spiritual and civic task.
May your ears be filled with just some of God’s Promises as I just quote a few for you here:
- Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6
- He guides the humble in what is right and teaches his way. Psalm 25:9
- In the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high on a rock. Psalm 27:5
- The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him. Psalm 28:7
- How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19
- I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. Psalm. 32:8
- The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them. Psalm 34:19
- For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful one. They will be protected forever. Psalm 37:28
- Wait for the Lord and keep His way. He will exalt you to possess the land. Psalm 37:34
- I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. Psalm 73:23
- For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4
- The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
- He Himself is our peace. Ephesians 2:14
- Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5
- The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Hebrews 13:6
- He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:25
- You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
- The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 1 Thessalonians 3:3
- I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters. 2 Corinthians 6:18
- He will deliver us. 2 Corinthians 1:10
- Praise be to God. . . of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
- You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
My Prayer for America:
Thank you, Lord, that You love America, and we will bring forth precious fruit before You our Maker and Creator. America is filled with an abundance of wonderful potential and promise because we are a nation under You, our endowed Creator.
I decree and declare that my nation is turning back to You, our Savior and Risen Lord. All the branches of government and all the political parties shall embrace and hold fast to Your truths in Your Holy Word. I decree that all who serve You in government will call upon Your name, they will humble themselves and pray and seek Your face as they will turn from their wicked ways.
Each law maker, each representative, and each delegate will have an encounter with You the true Redeemer, the Great I AM, and the Holy One of Israel. Righteousness, truth, and justice will be activated and motivated to the fullness of Your wisdom in all that they will do and say. I also declare and decree that the Body of Christ is actively walking and serving the Lord being strong in His mighty power.
Each church, church leader, and member will put on the full armor of God so that they can stand against any of the schemes of the evil one. The full armor of God is clothed upon each son and daughter with the belt of truth buckled around the waist, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and the feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, they will take up the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, along with the sword of the Spirt which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6)
Righteousness will thrive, prosper, and flourish in every home, every church, and in every family in Jesus’ Name because He is the exalted Lord over this nation!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen and Amen.
Thank you, dear partners, for filling your ears with God’s promises as this is what Freedom House is all about as we proclaim His promises of hope to the wounded, the lonely, the fearful, the perplexed. Along with the Holy Spirit, we walk with them during these especially confusing, desperate, and uncertain times, pointing them to Jesus. Your prayerful and generous donation of any amount during this difficult season means so much to us. We do not take it for granted given all the pressures that we all are under.
With My Heart of Love & Thanksgiving,
Mari Anne Andersen
Director, Freedom House Ministry
Bedazzled and Not Frazzled
Dear Eagle Saints,
I wanted to share with you the Word of the Lord as well as releasing and encouraging YOU with His loving kindness and His loving faithfulness. I pray as you read this word you would immediately feel His Presence, His Power, and His Peace that surpasses all understanding filling your heart and spirit with His Good News of promise. Though so much unrest, uncertainty, and unraveling are happening in our times, please know this: “God Does Not Change and He Will Always Keep His Promises.”
So, it is with this introduction I will release the Word of the Lord over you. . .
Bedazzled and Not Frazzled
Psalm 92:14 – My ears are filled with the sounds of promise: Good people will prosper like palm trees, grow tall like Lebanon cedars; transplanted to God’s courtyard. They’ll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green,
virile still in old age.
For I am releasing My canopy of love and promise – My covering will be hovering upon you. It is an open heaven in this season for YOU. Open Heaven to call upon Me – Open Heaven to see My glorious wonders of love rushing & cascading down upon you. The places of My perfect Kingdom will be ushered in and personally escorted into your life. Where there has been hurt, disappointment, discouragement, defeat, and dismissive truths – I – Your God will invade those places and spaces to dismantle, disassemble, and demolish. Yes, you have experienced intense pain, intense sadness, and intense disappointment. Your heart has been sick with a sense of hopelessness and grief that kept you in a state of deferment.
I AM NOW
taking the deferment—postponement, delay and suspension—away and giving YOU an excitement of hope in YOUR HEART for these changes. A great release of change is here. Keep your eyes and your heart open to hear and see the sight and sounds of Heaven roaring in. My trumpet sounds have started. My chorus of angels have been released to bring praises of celebration and jubilation. My rewards are divinely situated upon YOU – YOU are targeted for My Kingdom glory to rest upon YOU.
I am releasing My Sovereign Spirit in capsules, containers, and pods filled to the brim of love, blessings, and favor.
This is YOUR SEASON of wonder and awe. My glory train is ready for delivery. My Amazon Angels have a special delivery reaching to YOUR front door.
Utter amazement will be yours to see and feel.
So, REST ASSURED.
BEDAZZLED AND NOT FRAZZLED IS MY PROMISE TO YOU
Bedazzled is your word from Me, your God on high, for it means to be greatly impressed. My outstanding abilities will be personalized and customized to YOU. You will be dumbfounded, overwhelmed, stunned, astounded, and enchanted. Remember…
Bedazzled and NOT Frazzled
Psalm 89:15-18
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who You are, what You do – they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside of us – you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have, we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King! (MSG)
Heartfelt Thanks for Your Donations:
I want to thank you for how you have been faithful to us and Freedom House during this time when so many things around us are financially uncertain. Please continue to pray for Freedom House as God leads you and please continue to pray as God leads you to give financially. We continue this great work of reaching people’s hearts and seeing many lives changed by proclaiming liberty, releasing destiny, and harvesting humanity, our three pillars. God is at work in us, through us and by us. Great things are happening, and we are seeing many lives touched.
Please go on our website (www.freedomhouseministry.com) and choose Make a Donation where you can use PayPal or your own credit card.
Freedom House Schools are OPEN!
As you have probably read in our recent emails, Freedom House will be resuming our Schools after a year of rest following my mother’s homegoing to Glory. Both Course 201 and 202 will be taught on the same Saturdays, starting Saturday, September 19 at Kingsland Properties in Carol Stream. Applications are due by Wednesday, August 26.
Go on our website (www.freedomhouseministry.com) and click on the Schools to get an application, to be filled out as a fillable PDF and submitted to me by email or download a hardcopy, fill it in, and send it in by US mail. All the details are found online.
Thank you.
Blessings of love,
Mari Anne
What in the world?
What in the World is happening in our country, our world, and our times? We have had some turbulent, disturbing, and troubling times in the last several months to say the least. I’m sure like me many of you have been wondering, what in the world is happening to our world? Why is this all happening? How could this be happening? We are in a state of bewilderment and bafflement. It seems inconceivable all these riots, looting, killings and great disruptions of chaos and confusion which is camped all around us has followed right on the heels of a pandemic from which we have barely recovered. The senseless acts of hate, the criminal acts of violence and the abundance of injustices seems to be raining down on us daily. What in the world is happening? It seems we have more questions than answers today.
I’m not here to give you political perspectives, social injustice perspectives, and/or racial perspectives, as I feel very inadequate in doing so. However, I will attempt to give you some of God’s perspectives as I sense Him at this time.
Without doubt, we are all witnessing and experiencing firsthand a great and rapid decline in culture, a decline in law and order, a decline in social order, and a decline in God’s principles and ways. As well, there’s a clear and rapid decline in justice, righteousness, mercy, and truth. With all of these declines, which seem shocking and surprising, it really is nothing new. Conversely, what is new is the acceleration of these declines and the widespread rage, anger, lawlessness and great anarchy. Great harm has come to many lives, families, businesses and communities. Quite honestly, in my opinion, I believe, we have all fallen short in this time of great pain of injustices in individuals, families, churches, communities, the law, and the government to some degree.
Psalm 89:15 – Your throne is founded on two pillars – the one is Justice and the other Righteousness. Mercy and Truth walk before you as your attendants. Blessed are those who hear the joyful blast of the trumpet, for they shall walk in the light of your presence.
(TLB: Paraphrased)
These two pillars of justice and righteousness are essential and vital for ALL lives individually and corporately and throughout our world. Justice and righteousness play a huge role in God’s heart, and He desires for each one of us to live and abide in the place of justice and righteousness. These are His standards and His requirements – no ifs, ands or buts. Our God is a God of Justice for ALL mankind and He is a God of Righteousness for ALL mankind and they partner together and will always be side by side in God’s heart and ways. Righteousness is God’s moral standard to what He holds as right and wrong and will hold man accountable to those standards. Justice is equality and impartiality of God’s moral law in society and He wants BOTH – He wants to protect ALL LIVES with His Justice and Righteousness.
Spiritually speaking, we have ALL wandered away from God’s value system which has led us to this very tipping point of great calamity and tragedy.
Being in the inner-healing ministry and working with lives that are broken, shattered, and in pain, seeing hearts that are hardened because of injustice and unrighteousness, I can emphatically say, all of us as human beings are trapped in our patterns of hurt, pain, and brokenness. In our lives of brokenness, we walk out sinful behaviors and patterns, as well as unresolved issues within our hearts. Those unresolved issues of the heart, that inner core pain, will manifest one way or the other as we are viewing daily in the news.
John Sandford once said, “The strongholds of lawlessness, individualism and “rights” have eroded the conscience of mankind (especially corporate awareness and care) and sadly, the conscience of the Church as well. That has caused people to think that whatever they do is private and does not affect others. We are corporate, which is first and foremost a fact of our existence, not just an attitude. Everything we do either blesses or affects others. We have not understood that our sins provoke the God of justice. Every sin violates others, no matter how secretly done. That means no matter how much our Father wants to, and does forgive individually, forgiveness does not do away with the need for justice which is, by definition, not individual but corporate.”
“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
(Mark 7:21-23 NIV)“The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse – who can understand it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9 NRS)
As human beings, every one of us carries the stain of sin that was handed down by Adam and Eve. Man is corrupt, evil, and depraved. The truth and reality of our hearts are deceitful and untrustworthy and left unchecked, or if given an opportunity to express itself, will bring devastation, pain, and ruin. The human heart knows no race, no gender, no color, and no creed. At the very essence of our heart lies selfishness which demands its own way. What we do and what we say is a product of our heart and all our actions, attitudes, and desires are conceived in our heart. I can say as I watch the news, I see mankind’s heart bleeding literally and figuratively in much pain and in much need of God’s healing love of justice and righteousness for ALL LIVES . . . There is not one person today that has gone unscathed in what is happening, the young, the old, white, black, Latino, Christian, and non-Christian.
Keep vigilant watch over your heart;that’s where life starts.Proverbs 4:23 (MSG)
Your heart is the common ground where God and you meet. It’s the place where forgiveness is cultivated, where faith first takes root, where love grows, where hope blossoms, where mercy reaches fruition. Your heart is God’s greatest gift to you. It’s also your most significant responsibility. My question is “How are you keeping watch over your heart in these days?”
With the swirl of COVID-19, racial tension, peace protests and anarchic riots, disagreeable politics, and economic uncertainty, it is so much to take in and digest. Structures are surely overloaded in our systems: government, police, communities, churches, schools, and families. Hence, this would be a perfect time to realize we need an intervention—an intervention of a God who is most willing and most able to come and heal our hearts, our lives, and our nation from these enormous difficulties. Only He has the true solution and resolution for our hearts, our families, our communities, our nation and our government.
This is a very strategic time; I believe the Father is giving us an opportunity to evaluate our heart condition so that we can take stock of our family’s, community’s, and nation’s condition. The question is not how to move past this time but how can we ALL move into a place of truth, honor, and healing?
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (AmKJV)
Our government, lawmakers, police, and protestors (peaceful ones and anarchist) are unable to resolve these issues without our Creator, without our Savior and Healer. A greater virus than COVID-19 is ravishing our lives and that virus is an unredeemed heart, a hardened heart and a heart in great rebellion both individually and corporately which demands its own way for power and control.
As I started out in this article, I said I was coming from God’s perceptive, so it is there that I will try to sum up how we can try to move forward in these places both individually and corporately.
First, we cannot leave God out of this picture at this time of history. We must start with God and first know our identity in Christ, not our class, our culture or our race, but know our identity in Him as a Christian, as a son or daughter of the most high and holy God. Tony Evans said, “God racially profiles us in Heaven – if we are white, black, brown we will be white, black and brown for all eternity.” Embrace who you are in Him and move from that perspective before any other perspective.
Next, understand what these social injustices are. Do some homework and dig deep into the complexities of racial matters and do not just take things at face value because many hide behind the “Right Wording of Organizations.” Black Lives do Matter, just as all other lives matter. Understand what the organization is all about. Do your due diligence. Be in conversations across the aisle so we can see through other’s eyes and step into empathy and compassion. Remember, Jesus stepped into the arena of our troubles—He cried with those who cried and rejoiced with those who rejoiced.
Billy Graham wrote:
It’s true that terrible social injustices need to be righted, but this is NOT the whole problem. We will never reverse or turn around the moral leanings without a Spiritual Awakening . . . We must realize that while the law should guarantee human rights and restrain those who violate those rights, whenever people lack sympathy for the law, they will not long respect it even when they cannot repeal it. When the center of our trouble is dealt with . . . then and only then will we live with each other as brothers with brothers.
Thirdly, we need to see our nation back under God. We cannot go forward and see change unless we come to Christ and see Him as our true source of healing in our nation.
Finally, understand personal and corporate strongholds which are automatic, practiced, habitual ways of ungodly thinking that all have a life of their own, seeping out and spilling over to others further harming ourselves and those around us. We see these corporate strongholds controlling groups, masses, and even nations. Even good-hearted Christians can be affected with personal and corporate strongholds. It robs rational thinking, robs free will, creates tunnel vision, and most tragically, blocks out the Word of God. We are fighting a spiritual battle against mental strongholds and the principalities that wield them.
Here is a protocol that we can follow: The way God intended to see social injustices working in all lives is first with ourselves, then the family, the church, and then our community. There is a beautiful system God has already designed and created and shows us how to live in this world with all our differences. Fathers need to come to the table and live out and role model what a father is and how to live righteously and proactively being the priest of their home in godly character. In addition, churches need to be proactive in being agents of healing and change. Do not let race overrule God’s law and order. The church needs to talk, walk, and service these places of pain and be expressions of love in motion with one voice.
We are all hurting at this time. Remember, “hurt people hurt people,” but healed people heal people. Be an agent of healing in your life and in the lives of others.
Dear Lord,
Reveal the presence of these strongholds of __________ (for example: racism, addictions, communism, Marxism, extremist “rights” movements, self-righteousness, abortion, etc.) for they are blocking my thinking and keeping me from knowing Your truth. Show me, Lord, how I have participated in these patterns of thinking and behaving. I confess I have _________ (describe participation of thought, word or action), and I ask Your forgiveness.
Lord, show me the destruction and the cost of the damage that I have caused to those You love or to those around You. Lord, open my eyes of understanding and to see what You see. Lord, I repent of the hurt I have caused You, myself, and others. Write on my heart the pain I have caused You and others, so I will
not repeat these thoughts or behaviors.
Father help me in processing and identifying the bitter roots which made me vulnerable to these streams of thought and behavior. I commit myself to doing all I can to restore relationships with You, those I love, and those in my community. Lord, I ask you to wash me, and keep me hidden in You so I am no longer seduced by these strongholds. I renounce these thought patterns; I renounce behaviors accompanying them. I choose to imitate Jesus Christ and submit my mind to the working of the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
These are uncertain and fearful times we are living in … until we get our eyes back on Jesus and God’s infallible Word. Then we know where our hope comes from. And we can more clearly see that people are like sheep without a shepherd (Matt 9:36) so desperately looking for a savior who will lead them to righteousness and justice in this lost world. More and more we grasp that everyone needs the Gospel—the good news that the Savior has already come into the world, bringing salvation, everlasting life, along with healing and renewal to every heart and mind. He is able to destroy the strongholds that control us, setting us free to be born anew. This is what Freedom House Ministries (FHM) is all about—bringing Christ’s healing to believers, and even non-believers, who share their hurt and pain with us.
Thank you for making that happen on an almost daily basis as we counsel. Your financial gifts and prayers humble us and keep us doing what God has called FHM to do over these many years. Please place a check made out to Freedom House Ministries in the mail to Freedom House, c/o The Andersens, 3217 Scoville Ave, Berwyn IL 60602-3546. Or you can give online through our website using PayPal or your own personal credit card at freedomhouseministry.com and choose “Make a Donation.” Also, on our website check out our Schools tab where you’ll see that we will resume Course 201 & 202 in September. We would love to save a seat at the table for you!
With an Overflowing Heart of Gratitude,
Mari Anne Andersen
Director, Freedom House Ministry
My Tent is Pitched in the Land of Hope
“I saw God before me for all time. Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side. I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope. I know you’ll never dump me in Hades; I’ll never even smell the stench of death. You’ve got my feet on the life-path, with your face shining sun-joy all around.”
(Acts 2:25-28 The Message)
This scripture releases the magnitude and extravagance of God’s divine love for us and I believe He is right by our side even in the midst of this plague-like virus. My strong recommendation to you during this season is to “Pitch Your Tent in the Land of Hope” and to know God has great and mighty plans in this season. We are approaching Pentecost at the end of May. I surely do not think it’s consequential being shut-in during Passover and Pentecost. Literally we have entered a modern-day Passover. We will have our Exodus, we will have our Red Sea parted, and we will cross over to the promises just like the Israelites.
I believe we are the cusp of something heavenly, epically, and majestically massive in our nation and globally. We know the Passover, Egypt had to let go of God’s people and the oppression of slavery, fear, and poverty. God’s people needed a whole new mind shift leaving Egyptian ways of thinking and living. They needed an “Exodus” as well as aligning themselves with God’s plan and purposes. They needed to get their minds renewed, restored, and needed to repent in the ways they became like the Egyptians.
My friends, we too have become complacent in the ways of the Lord, we have become apathic, fear-based people sleeping through the life and not taking a rightful position as a mighty warrior in the Army God. We have retreated, surrendered and in some ways grieved and stifled the Holy Spirit.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 states it clearly: When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)
This is a time to repent for our own individual lifestyles, repent on behalf of our nation and all the injustices, all the compromises and all the anti-Christ ways that has slipped into our government, schools, churches and even into own hearts. This is a time to pitch our tent in the land of hope by retrieving and taking back what the enemy has stolen. The enemy has squeezed its way into politics, media, into academia and into our families. We are in a corporate strong hold in America and during this time I believe we have had a “Divine Interruption” so that we can re-align ourselves with what the Father wants to do in our nation, culture, churches and family.
During this Passover and Pentecost Season, I strongly sensed that the Holy Spirit yearns to do something colossal and intervene in wondrous and glorious ways nationally and globally. We are strategically in a place in which God wants to disrupt business as usual. The Holy Spirit craves to pour out a fresh anointing of His Holy Fire and a fresh Baptism of power in our “Upper Room” as we are in confinement.
We need to look to a new future as did the Israelites; we need to take our rightful places as the Kids of the King and not be intimidated in our faith, our convictions or in our love for the Father in all spheres of life. We need to take back our government with the truth and principles of our Creator, we need to infiltrate the media and schools with God’s truth and get back to the foundations of our God. We need to look to the future as God’s people who know the times and seasons as we transition into the NEW.
A new normal needed to come into the Israelites existence—a new transference of His Spirit economically, spiritually and culturally, a new structured way of thinking, doing and living needed to rise up in their lives because God gave them a redo, a recalibrating, and a resetting into the ways of Jehovah Yahweh. This is our time to have a redo and a resetting.
Chuck Pierce said, “the first part of reconciliation is between heaven and earth and that is the key to understand. When heaven and earth is reconciled, the land begins to prosper.” God wants His people, you and me, to prosper in everyway and in every area – coming into clarity in a new way in 2020. This is a time to declare, decree, and deliver the promises God has given YOU! This is time to pray and fast for our nation, our president and his cabinet, and to see our nation under God once again.
What We Can Do in This Time Before Pentecost?
This is the time for the Holy Spirit to lead us to conviction of our sins, to show us how we are not living up to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. To enable us to have the gift of repentance in order to repent and confess our sins and yield to the Holy Spirit’s ways so our ways will be reckoned dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus. As believers baptized in the Holy Spirit, we are empowered in and through Him to live a holy life and to have the Holy Spirit as our Helper to become more and more like Christ. To be filled up continually and regularly with His Spirit of truth, power, and love to keep on keeping on. So, in this time we can … Cry Out More for the Holy Spirit!
Passover to Promise: Our revival and reformation only happen when we know and understand the places of the Holy Spirit for He is the conduit to become who God created us to be in this season of time. It’s through His power that we have help in all and every situation and circumstance in pre and post COVID-19. Truly without Him we are rendered powerless.
“The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us.” – Billy Graham
Passover to Promise: That is where the Holy Spirit is wanting to take us in this strategic time so that we can be in His protection, provision, presence, providence, and prominence
. This is the time in which the Holy Spirit wants to take us supernaturally into empowering, enabling, and equipping us to new revelatory insights, strategies, and realms of His
Presence – a Boom in the Upper Room.
As our Divine Helper, the Holy Spirit enables us to live a flourishing life that illuminates and reflects God’s glory and beauty here and now: kingdom life, kingdom culture, and kingdom philosophy.
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
John 16:7 (ESV)
The Holy Spirit is our compass. He guides us, leads us to do the will of our Father God and helps us to be in tune to the ways of the Father. He directs our steps as our Way-Maker for all things to become possible. As our Way-Maker, He gives us gifts to carry out His service in each of us, whether it is the gift of wisdom, gift of knowledge, gift of faith or healing. He is our Way-Maker for miracles and for our ability to prophecy and interpret. He is our Voice-Maker, giving us words of life to release hope, faith, and promises of our Father. To sustain us in times of trouble and give us perseverance, steadfastness, and diligence to rise up and soar on eagle wings and not to become weary in doing good because He knows in due season, we will reap a harvest. Some Scriptures we can pray during this time as we seek hope:
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)The Holy Spirit is our Hope-Maker, our Peace-Maker, and our Love-Maker:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 (NIV)“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,”
John 14:26 (NIV)He presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.”
Acts 1:3-5 (The Message)
Like the disciples, we are in a very similar situation. We cannot leave our homes (our Jerusalem) so we need to meet Jesus in our times of seclusion, meals, fellowship with family, our times of worship, praying, and soaking in the ways of the Kingdom.
Dear Father God,
You are yearning to release the power, presence, and purpose of the Holy Spirit in greater force in our lives, churches, and in a global awakening for the great harvest. Holy Spirit, we need YOU to help us to lean into ALL your ways, to grow more in love with YOU, and to appreciate YOU more in our lives. We come in Your Presence O Lord, to draw strength and wisdom from our Fountain of Life. Come fill us up! Come with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s Fire and release a fresh Baptism of power to love, serve, and honor You.
Forgive us Holy Spirit for ways we have grieved You, for ways we have stifled Your flow, and for ways we have not listened to Your quiet still voice of conviction. Help us prepare for You in this season of Pentecost that we can see extraordinary signs and wonders of the glorious kingdom invading our heart, home, and land.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Dear folks, your support has been a huge blessing, in and during this time. Please know I am very grateful for your faithfulness, for your generosity, and for your prayers. God is working in great ways here in Freedom House, and it’s thrilling to see lives touched and changed. We have our new website up and running, several new people around the globe for Prayer Counseling, my mom’s book is being edited, and the Elijah House Course 201 & 202 Schools will begin in September. We have new Board Members: one with a prophetic voice and two of our pastors from the past, who now reside in Wisconsin, will be coming down for the board meetings. That’s dedication! We will be holding a Prophetic Weekend (dates to be released end of May). Finally, we will hold a Pentecost Prayer Meeting via Zoom with staff and Board Members on May 23rd . . . a new way of doing church for now!
Your donation of any amount at this difficult season means so much to us, and we do not take it for granted. Thank you for pitching your tent in our land of hope, as this is what Freedom House is all about as we extend hope to the wounded, the lonely, the fearful, the perplexed, and along with the Holy Spirit walk with them during this especially confusing, hopeless, and uncertain time.
You can go online at http://www.freedomhouseministry.com and then choose “Make a Donation” using PayPal or your own credit card. Also, you can mail a check made out to Freedom House Ministries, and mail it to Freedom House, c/o The Andersens, 3217 Scoville Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402-3546.
With My Heart of Love,
Mari Anne Andersen
Director, Freedom House Ministry
The Crux of the Matter – The Cross & Resurrection
The Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are our cornerstones and our sure foundations of our life, faith, belief, and truth—all in Jesus Christ. It’s our beginning and our end, it’s our Alpha and Omega, it’s the focal point of all scripture. All that came before us pointed to the cross and all that followed looks back to the cross. All of Scripture leads up to this essential moment in the history of humanity. Dear friends, this cross is not just a symbol or an icon; however, it’s our true reality of life, liberty, and the pursuit of living hope here on this side of eternity and on the other side to come.
This cross represents something so deep, so real, and so influential in our lives that we just can’t skirt around it or just read about once a year. This cross carries and represents the ultimate sacrifice of all time. It’s where God’s greatest sacrifice, His Son, Jesus Christ became “The Sacrifice.” This cross is the place where God sent His Son to die so we can have life. The greatest event that ever took place in all of history was on this cross at Calvary. No other event could ever compare, could ever come close, or could ever replicate it! This cross altered our future for each one of us for those who believe and place our faith in the ever Faithful One. This cross carried The One who suffered for all our sins and the sins of the world. This cross made the way for us to stand in the presence of the Father, the One True God, and to live with Him forever and ever.
Through this cross and the suffering of Jesus Christ, He became the greatest gift of all: our salvation, our deliverance, our eternal life with the True Messiah to live out our life with Him throughout eternity in Heaven. This cross was one of the greatest “rescue missions” of all times. God’s saving power in full was revealed and uncovered at this cross. Oh, the power of this cross goes beyond our human comprehension and understanding and the only one who can reveal the richest and deepest significance and importance of this cross is our Friend, our Truth Giver, the Sweet Holy Spirit.
“…that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.”
(Ephesians 1:18b)
This cross reveals the true nature and character of God’s love and heart for YOU and ME. Many of us pray for more of God’s love, more of His ways and heart and to know more about who He is in our lives. I encourage you, dear ones, study this cross during Passion Week, and you’ll understand the depths of what God the Father did for us by giving us His only begotten son—Jesus. Growing in Him and in His ways is to understand the intensity and potency of this cross. Oh, the depth of His love for YOU and for ME is so far and wide, so great and so grand and so glorious and wondrous.
At the Cross I bow my knees, where your blood was shed for me, there’s no greater love than this, at the cross.
(At the Cross, by Hillsong)
the joy that was set before him (Jesus) endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
(1 Peter 2:25)There was a GREAT EXCHANGE that took place so that we can be . . . Born Again to a Living Hope!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV)
Praise God from whom all blesses flow, Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because He lives, WE can face tomorrow, because He lives, ALL fear is gone, because we know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives!!
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has given us this glorious power to this new life of living hope in which we can live in NOW on this side of eternity and to live with Him for ALL eternity to come. Through His resurrection we are made alive in Him to live out ALL of His promises here on earth, to have certainty that all of His promises are activated and generated through this glorious resurrection power.
Dear friends, we sit with Him in the heavenly places… and God raised us up with Christ seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus . . . Ephesians 2:6 (NIV)
We are, also, born anew, our sins are washed away, positional seated in Christ, and given a new spirit to live out this life He desired and designed for each of us. We are redeemed, bought back, and freed from the consequences of sin by ransom. Jesus paid all our debt.
By the power of His love and resurrection, our ashes are turned into glory, our deserts into flourishing gardens, and our weaknesses turned into strengths. What glorious good news as His sons and daughters to have this new life in Him day by day.
“Even so consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11 (NAS)
This week as we enter Passion Week, I pray that you will have a new depth and understanding of “This Cross and to This Resurrection” and it will release greater enlargement and territory in your walk, your faith, and love for our Lover of our Soul.
Keep posted for some more new and improved blessings. A little teaser and quick peek into the new: my mom’s book will soon be published. Mark Sandford just finished editing her book and now we will take it to the publishers. Very exciting, and we could use your prayers!
Your financial gift, at this special time of year, will enable us to keep moving forward in all that the Holy Spirit has for us as leaders of FHM and for those the Lord brings to us for ministry through His power. We cannot do this on our own. Join with us at this new launch and in this season of Resurrection Power with whatever the Lord lays on your heart to give.
No gift is too small or inconsequential. You can go online to www.freedomhouseministry.com and choose “Make a Donation” to give through PayPal or use your credit card. OR You can send a check payable to Freedom House Ministries to FHM, 3217 Scoville Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402-3546. Thank you so much for your gift and partnership. It means so much, especially at this time of giving and sacrifice and life.
Happy Easter to you and your loved ones!
by Mari Anne Andersen
A letter from Mari Anne Andersen
Dear Friends,
With the worldwide spread of this “invisible enemy”—Coronavirus Outbreak—I wanted to send you a “love letter” from the Father’s Heart and my heart to remind YOU of His promises especially during this time of unprecedented circumstances.
Yes, it’s true we are in the crossfire of a true worldwide disease and global pandemic. Yes, it’s serious as well as dangerous, creating life-altering situations, relationally, financially, and physically as well as medically. All of these factors have vast nationwide ramifications economically. Yes, we are living in a present time where our regular and normal routines of life have come to a dramatic halt personally, corporately, and globally all of which have serious implications on every level—FOR NOW!!!
So, with that in mind, I thought this love letter would remind us of the Father’s Heart and promises. He as waiting for us on the other side of the pandemic.
Do you remember just a couple of months ago, I sent you a newsletter sharing what God is wanting to do in this New Year, New Decade, and New Era? Do you remember some of the prophetic insights for this New Year along with scriptures? Please get the newsletter out to re-read those promises to refresh and to remind you what is coming. I called it the “Amos 9:13-14 Paradigm.”
Seasons of Blessings from Amos 9:13-14a . . .
“Yes, indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel… (MSG)
Nothing of His promises has changed in the Father’s mind, heart, or Spirit for us. NOTHING.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good and fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19 (AMP)
So, in the natural world this word is opposite to what is really happening in present time, not just opposite but extreme bi-polar of opposite. I would have to agree with you—IF I was looking in the natural realm to this “invisible enemy,” and—IF I didn’t know my Promise Maker and my Promise Keeper.
We know that the enemy’s tactics or weapons are to bring us delays, doubts, and worries along with major distractions of what He has spoken and promised. We know the enemy wants nothing more than to lead God’s children into panic, fear, and great disappointment. We know the enemy is a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy as well as manufacturing places in our hearts to doubt God’s integrity and reliability. (John 10:10)
Please hear and know my heart in saying this enormous affliction and devastation all of us are experiencing and witnessing on some level, I am not taking lightly or casually. Believe me! BUT I cannot afford to cave in to FEAR in how the enemy is trying to quickly change the landscape of our world. I truly believe this “invisible enemy” is not really the coronavirus but it is FEAR and DOUBT—GREAT DOUBT.
Let me explain a little in what I’m sensing from Heaven’s perspective in the present time. Many of you know I have taught on “dark speech” which is less direct ways in which God speaks to us. Dark speech occurs when we think God is saying one thing to us, only to find out later that He was speaking about something different. In scripture the parables talk about one subject, but its real meaning lies elsewhere. Think of the catch of fish, the lost sheep, the hidden talents etc.
We are seeing pockets all over our communities that are “hot spots” of the pandemic of the COVID-19 springing up and causing great affliction and suffering in every area of life. This virus is spreading like wild-fire and the wind carries it through the air in creating these invisible germs which settle on us, and we can breathe in the particles that generate this coronavirus.
Due to its great physical harm especially in the elderly, we, however, are all quarantined with our life as we have known it, being ordered to “self-isolate” or to withdraw, disconnect from life, from people and community. It’s amazing that the very essence of our being and existence is to have life, to choose life, and to choose fellowship, relationships, and community in living out our daily lives as human beings.
Again, the enemy imitates what God desires to activate in deeper and greater levels. When God is designing for us to be blessed by the elderly, the enemy comes to rip them out of our lives.
“Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old.”
Job 12:12“Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, The LORD is just!”
Psalm 92:12-14“Rise in the presence of the aged and honor the elderly face-to-face. Fear your God. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 19:32
I believe we are on the tipping point of something astronomical and titanic in scope of God’s Hand being released. However, we are seeing and experiencing quite the opposite. The enemy is using this in a destructive and divisive manner—FOR NOW!!!
See, right before a colossal breakthrough, the enemy tries to imitate what God will initiate and activate. We are on the verge of a colossal breakthrough personally, corporately and globally to see a massive revival, reformation, and resurgence of God’s salvation, redemption, and liberation like never seen before.
It seems for now we are losing the war, the battle and the promises – so it seems! In one sense, it’s the job description of the enemy to discourage us between the ‘glory to glory,’ promise to promise or the suddenly to suddenly. Yes, in actuality, for now, the ground we have covered seems to be lost, the battles that we overcame seem to be wiped out and the leverage we had seems to have slipped away—FOR NOW!!!
Our greatest battle comes right before our greatest breakthrough – let me say this again, our greatest battle comes right before our greatest breakthrough—IF we do not give in, give up, or dig in with fear, doubt, and discouragement.
Please, please, stay and remain the course of hope—great hope filled with great expectations from a great God who knows and sees and desires to release ALL His great promises spoken and given to us.
I see the enemy is overplaying his hand big time and what is happening in the natural now is so obviously the enemy trying to run roughshod over the promises for our new year, new decade and new era—rough shod over our promotions, our compensations, and our reparations.
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
Hebrews 10:35
The promises are great victories that will manifest in our lives, in our churches, our neighborhoods, and in our government and leaders. Our promises are the greater glory and greater works will be in full display in our lives, families as well as in our nation. It will be a tsunami of His ways and principles, a returning back to the original design and intention for us and for America. Furthermore, the wrongs are made right with restitution, restoration and recompense. God’s sovereignty will spread far and wide and high and low. Watch and see His victory in all of this.
Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
Romans 11:33
Right now, we are in a place that seems very foreign which can create fear of the unknown in not knowing how long all this is going to last and when all is said and done, what will be left? Many questions with very little answers —FOR NOW!!!
What can we do now as we are in “lock-down mode?” What can we learn from this time and what does He want us to do in this “self-isolation practically, emotionally and spiritually?” When will this be over? All very good questions and let first answer it this way:
Let me say this, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Acts 3:6
What I have right now is faith to walk out this time with you in knowing God is with us, God has not forsaken us, God has not turned the other way, and God has not taken His hand away from us and our nation. What I have are His promises which are never null and void, which are always for us and not against us, and for us taking hold and standing on the promises of our breakthrough.
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:29But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
Isaiah 40:31For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsaken you.
Deuteronomy 31:8For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
The enemy really knows how close we are to the border of our new promised land, inheriting the massive revival of salvation, the glorious and wondrous deeds of His loving Hand, and the Sovereignty of His healings. Oh, the enemy knows so well how close we are in seeking our breakthroughs and he is trying desperately to invade, explode, and implode with his fear and doubt. Don’t take the bait!
It may look bleak and grim for now but stand steadfast in His Presence of peace because we are going to see the “Amos 9:13-14 Paradigm” happen as promised in the New Year, new decade, and new era.
When all is said and done with this Corvid-19, we will see an increase of intensity of growth in our lives and in our culture, economically, spiritually and relationally; it will be at the speed of God’s Sovereign sound and light coming in full array accelerating time, accelerating growth, and accelerating promises which will overtake us.
In conclusion, let us do what we need to do practically, by being wise and responsible and taking heed of all the recommendations from the CDC and other officials and praying for divine strategies and wisdom for our leaders.
Reach out to family, friends and neighbors (via social media), send fun cards, loving cards in the good old-fashion way—snail mail with a real stamp. Play board games with family members, watch some good series on Netflix—Downtown Abbey, Master Theatre—and watch some funny, clean comedians laughing. This is a “pause” button so enjoy, rest and be blessed because God has incredible and unbelievable advancements coming. Rest Up!
In closing, I would like to say thank you for being part of Freedom House, our personal lives, and in the lives of so many that we reach around the globe, especially during this “sheltered-in-place." Please pray humbly before the Father to see if this is the month to cast your net on the other side—the other side being Freedom House (John 21:6)—so we could have a windfall during this time when we are not able to meet with clients face-to-face, and Tommy is not able to drive Uber. I believe part of this scripture in John is to hear from the Father and to obey Him in what He is asking you to do. In that we can be assured a multitude of blessings that reach far and wide. Thank you for prayerfully considering our needs and financial support.
Just go online at www.freedomhouseministry.com and click on Make a Donation to use PayPal or your credit card or send a check to Freedom House Ministries to the address on the first page.
With My Love, Prayers & Deep Thanksgiving,
Mari Anne
New Year, New Decade, New Era! The Wait is Over . . . Blessings Everywhere…
My Dear Friends,
In the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world follows, it’s 2020, so I want to wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year! Looking at the Hebrew calendar, it’s 5780! This literally means “mouth” or “PEY.” It’s used in word, expression, vocalization, speech, voice, and breath. It’s time to declare, and decree in using your mouth to speak out all that our God will do this year. A time to declare the possible from the impossible: “Widen your mouth and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). What has appeared to be defeat and death in our lives will have a 180 degree turn around, to an increase of His glory and miracles and blessings of wonder and awe.
This New Near we are entering into something so exhilarating and electrifying. Many of the seasoned Prophetic Voices around the globe have been sharing their insights, revelations, and prophetic visions. I encourage you to visit Sid Roth and hear and listen to the giants in the Body of Christ share what is waiting for us in this New Year, New Decade, and New Era. I pray with all my heart and soul that through this newsletter you will catch the wave of the Father’s excitement of what we will be entering into in 2020 and beyond.
This is a time to really know and understand the season we will be entering into in 2020 as sons, daughters, and believers and what is in store for the church, the world, and our personal lives in this New Year and decade. Let’s align ourselves with the awesomeness of God’s ways and purposes in this season because it truly will be a remarkable resetting in our lives. We will be experiencing a 180 degree turn around in our lives, no longer “business as usual” but seeing the revelations revealed and revelations fulfilled in our lives.
For so many of us in the last few years, we have been swallowed up (or so it seems) by the enemy’s ploys and schemes through much hardship and pain, as well as defeat. However, NO LONGER is that the case in this New Year and decade because God will be ushering in great changes, great blessings, and great shifts of His glorious glory. God’s love will be unleashed and released into so many of our dreams and visions that seemed lost, forgotten, or abandoned. The wait is over – NOW we will see things being revived, restored, and reset. It’s a New Year, New Decade, and New Era!
Some of the Prophetic Voices that we are hearing are:
Patricia King, James Goll, Hank Kuneman, Cindy Jacobs, Joan Hunter, Jeremiah Johnson, and Judy Jacobs, to name a few. All have the same message, the same theme, and the same revelations revealed. Truly it is awe inspiring and I pray that it feeds our faith for us to run into 2020 with great expectations and hope. For this is His time to act in greatness, abundance and vastness over us like never before.
Some little nuggets or words from these Prophetic Voices:
As I recommended, please visit Sid Roth for greater depth and insight to their prophecies in order to align yourselves with this vast, wide-open window from Heaven in this season.
How exciting it is to hear and know what will be happening for you, for us and for the nation! God has a redemptive plan in all areas of our lives and NOW is the time to see many wonderful promises unveiled in front of our eyes.
Summary of Prophetic Words:
- Great victory will manifest in our lives, in our churches and in our government. No longer hold-ups, no longer cancellations, and no longer delays. The wait is over. There will be a boom in the upper room of manifestations of His glory and greater works will be on full display for all to see. Much favor will be upon us, our government, and our nation. This is the season of the supernatural miracles and a year of wondrous prosperity not lacking but increasing with clarity of vision and hope in God’s ways and purposes.
- 2020 and beyond will be a year of establishment for the Body of Christ. We will not be wandering, roaming, or straying but we will be established in one place because of a great spiritual awakening of supernatural healings and supernatural miracles. Our children and grandchildren will be coming home to walk out their purposes from God’s original plan. Many of the prodigals are running home into God’s heart and into their family’s arms.
- Amazing prophetic revelations will be fulfilled. Lost dreams are recovered and uncovered. The brokenhearted are being restored and healed, while places of dignity and honor are retrieved. Further, the wrongs are made right with restitution, restoration, and recompense.
- How exciting it is to hear and know what will be happening for you, for us and for the nation! God has a redemptive plan in all areas of our lives and NOW is the time to see many wonderful promises unveiled in front of our eyes.
On a personal note, the Scriptures God gave has given me for Freedom House, for us personally, and for YOU in this New Year are:
Season of Blessings: Amos 9:13-14a
“Yes, indeed, it won’t be long now.” GOD’S DECREE. Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills.
I’ll make everything right for my people Israel… (MSG)
AND
Breath of Life Season – Ezekiel 37:5-6
GOD, the Master, told the dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to YOU and YOU’LL come to life. I’ll attach sinews to YOU, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll come alive and you’ll realize that I am GOD!” (“you” capitalized for emphasis)
Dear Father,
Thank you that YOU are saying to us NOW is the time to see things quickly, suddenly and expediently line up with YOU for a great harvest of miracles, blessings, and the supernatural. Things are going to happen so fast, Father, with one blessing after another, and it will be hard to keep up with all the goodness given and provided from YOU. Thank you, Lord, for how YOU will release YOUR breath into the very places that need resurrection life and power.
In Jesus’ Name. . . Amen and amen!
So dear friends, stay tuned to hear what the Father has downloaded to us for this next year for Freedom House. It’s a time for RESET, REVIVE, REDEEM, and RELEASE and newer and greater ways. This is the time for Freedom House to expand, enlarge and explode into this New Year, decade and era!
Without you—your prayers, your financial gifts, your encouragement to me and my staff—there would be no Freedom House! Thank you for your monetary gift at this New Year, thank you for your prayers that undergird all that we do, and thank you for your words, emails and cards of encouragement.
You can give online http://www.freedomhouseministry.com (http://www.freedomhouseministry.com/make-a-donation/) and then choosing the tab “Make a Donation.” Also, you can mail a check made out to Freedom House, c/o The Andersens, 3217 Scoville Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402-3546.
Thank you so much for investing in what God is doing in 2020—5780—through Freedom House!
Sending My Love and Blessings,
Mari Anne Andersen
Director of Freedom House Ministry
Merry Christmas & 2018 Highlights From Freedom House Ministries
2018! Can you believe it’s nearly finished?! I am drinking in all that the Father has done in 2018 and I thought I would give a little refresher and share how the Father honored His Word, and many others, in my life in this last year. Below are just some of the prophetic words that were given to me.
Surely, Positively and Most Definitely Seen in 2018 – to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) – Father said He would release on His wings thunderous awakening in and around your life. Yes, he did this in my life, Tommy’s life, and the lives of our Freedom House Family:
2018 Highlights
1. Tommy Returned to Freedom House from stepping down a couple of years ago due to burnout and depression. He is now back counseling, teaching, and leading in the Course 201 & 202 Schools. A story of God’s grace and mercy and comeback in his life can clearly be seen. Surely, definitely, positively, absolutely and certainly God has a call on his life. This serves as a reminder that God has a call on YOUR life as well.
2. My Mom’s Health – She had several stays in the hospital and it didn’t look good on many occasions but the Lord surely has been with her with each step along the way in 2018 and has strengthened her and has recovered her so many times. On January 18, she will be 88 years old! What a blessing to so many and particularly ME! (Rose Marie and her long-time ministry partner, Laverne Smith, at the 2018 Fun-raiser.)
3. New Board Members – Rick and Sheryl Schmidt have joined our board, a Godsend of His grace and love. Sheryl had already taken over being the In-take secretary and has been doing a tremendous labor of love and is now also my new Event Coordinator. What answered prayer with the best of the best serving in excellence!
4. New School Leaders for Course 201 & 202 – We are enjoying new leaders, like Rhonda Reed, in this new school year. In addition, we have many new students ranging from the young generation of 20’s through the mature generations of 80’s. What an honor to be able to have so many young, middle, and senior ages in our Schools!
5. Many FHM Events This Last Year – Mark & Maureen Sandford, Dr. Boaz Johnson from North Park University, Ruth Fazal, Joseph & Heather from Z Ministries, Esther’s Retreat in Lake Geneva, Laughing Your Way to Healing Conference, and our annual Fun-Raiser on November 17th. Wow – what a year of His glory and love lavishly bestowed upon us!!!
6. Invitations to Teach and Minister in the Prophetic – I always consider it a great honor and privilege to walk in these gifts and to minister to others this last year and I already have 2019 dates booked.
7. Global Outreach – This last year I was counseling and ministering via Skype to: Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, Australia, Africa, Ireland and just 2 weeks ago – India! WOW and WOW! The Father is faithful to His word. “Surely, Positively, and Most Definitely Seen in 2018!” Freedom House has indeed gone Global.
8. New Webmaster & New Website – Our faithful Webmaster Nate Tubbs informed us a few weeks ago that his business has exploded and he’s needing to step down from the day-to-day maintenance of our website. Thankfully, the Lord already lined someone up even before we had a chance to pray in a new Webmaster. Her heart is to serve Freedom House and to bless us with a new, fresh contemporary website and to help with social media. And, it’s at a price that can’t be beaten! God is awesome!
9. 2018 Annual Fun-Raiser – This year it was a great success and the Schmidt family (mentioned in #3 above) outdid themselves with baskets that were overflowing with beauty and abundance of every kind. It was a festive night with old friends and new friends enjoying the beauty, the fun, and the fellowship with a chance to lavish funds on FHM!
10. My Staff – Mother Teresa Said: “It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in doing.” That is exactly what I feel about Freedom House’s staff. They go above and beyond because of their love for the Father and Freedom House.
11. Our Daughter & Son-in-law & Their Two Boys – Karin Marie and Roger are expecting their 3rd son in March. Oh, did I mention this will be our 3rd grandchild joining Bram and Emerson?! Being a grandparent is over the top joy and then some. They are settled in their new home in Wheaton as of this last year. A home of love, comfort, and joy.
12. Our Son, Fillip is Home from Norway – What a blessing and answered prayer for a mother and father! Fillip has been living in Norway by Tommy’s family for 9 years, and of course, he came home several times throughout the years. But now he has a reason to stay home here in the US: a young lady he has known all his life—literally the girl next door and his best friend’s sister—Karen and her daughter Somer, 4-years-old, who by the way is our grandson’s age. Fillip has settled into a very good job and has great potential in every way to begin his new journey back in the USA.
13. Our Youngest Son, Markus – He is still living in Utah and works in North Dakota, on the oil rigs, and he’s the delight of our hearts, a hard worker, and one who makes mom and dad very proud of all his ways.
Well, those are just some of the highlights of 2018. There are so many I don’t have room or time in this letter without boring you to pieces. Needless to say, it didn’t just come into step without hiccups and some places of challenges, emotional and personal growth, and most assuredly soul-searching disappointments. Each above point came with lots of prayer and sacrifice.
This road is not an easy one when the world says one thing and the Lord is saying another and so many things are pulling in different directions. And yet, I know no other way than to hold fast to His garment and cling on for dear life.
Running a ministry—directing AND counseling—wearing many family hats—a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter—and maintaining friendships is all quite challenging. I simply can’t express it enough: I am SO dependent on the Father for my peace, grace, trust, and hope. It takes a lot to do all that the Lord has called me (us) to and I (we) need your help in all these endeavors.
I want to say thank you to all who have been faithful in their prayers for us, faithful in their giving, and faithful in their serving Freedom House. Without you, we could NOT do what God has called us to do in this last year and, God willing, in the year coming up, 2019.
As we move into the next New Year, I pray that you will catch the vision of Freedom House and come along side of us because Freedom House is going places full of adventures, full of new experiences, and filled with great new heights and depths of His love.
A Sneak Preview of Early 2019 Events – Watch Your Email For Details:
- Prophetic Word for 2019: Most Satisfied in Him – Clean, Lean and Pristine in 2019, emphasizing Psalm 119. God wants you to be satisfied, blessed and delighted so that your eyes will be fully engaged and opened to see His miracle-wonders in 2019. Details coming soon!
- January: Altar’d State is a boutique retailer with a faith-based mission. There will be an online purchasing event and an Oak Brook Mall event where FHM will host an evening to “Give and It Shall be Given” fundraiser in Oak Brook Mall at their store. Dates TBA.
- February: Second Annual Esther Retreat in Wisconsin. Dates and place TBA.
- February 1, 7:00-9:00pm: Hosting a Prophetic Party at the Hope Center in Bolingbrook.
Prayerfully Consider A Year-End Contribution:
As we are approaching a close to 2018, I’m asking you to consider a year-end gift – a GREAT BIG GIFT that will close the books on 2018, so we can open a brand new book for 2019. Two options to give:
- Use the enclosed envelope to mail in a check, which must be postmarked by Monday, December 31 at midnight to count for 2018. OR
- Give online at FHM’s website, where you can use PayPal and/or your credit card:
www.freedomhouseministry.com/make-a-donation/
I thank you again from my heart to your heart!!! May this Christmas have Christ in all that you do and you’ll experience overflowing peace, joy and goodwill.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Blessings
Mari Anne
Director, Freedom House Ministries
Unpredictable Vessel - Who Trump?
I first want to come out of the gate by saying this: “I will probably offend some people, I will probably surprise others, and I will probably have some saying yes and amen.” Please bear with me and know that I am slowly stepping into the waters of no return as I share some of my thoughts and insights about President Donald J. Trump and some of the places in our world as well as in our own backyard. Please let me state clearly I am not an historian, a theologian, or a politician. I am simply a law-abiding Christian that desires to be a conduit for Christ who wants to be a defender for Christian values.
I am sure many of you are well aware of angst and division among Christians, non- Christians, Conservatives, non-conservatives, left-wingers, right-wingers, progressives, and reformists. Our United States of America was once deeply respected and highly esteemed for a place of hope, a beacon of light, and a place of opportunity. Effective government is essential in the pursuit of justice. And true justice, Augustine said, springs from a sovereign God. Writer and scholar Christopher Dawson once said, “Christianity is the soul of Western civilization. And when the soul is gone, the body putrefies.”
That is what I feel at times—the soul of America is slowly decaying along with our moral standards, our absolutes, our values and ethics, and our one nation under God. I believe as many others do that America is at a pivotal, crucial, and vital intersection of our foundational issues such as faith, family, and freedom. And please let me say unequivocally and clearly—it has not ALL been because of the rise of Donald J. Trump. There has been a slow burning in the decline of our moral and ethical foundations way before Trump entered into the picture. It’s the same meaning about backsliding, which is a slow, continual process of turning away step-by-step and choice-by-choice until one day you find yourself very far from the Lord and His values.
Which leads me to the question: What does it mean when I say that God has raised up an unpredictable vessel? How do we know whom God is raising up to be a reformer, a crusader, or a champion during these challenging and changing times in our world? Reformed Theologians (first introduced by Chuck Colson) describes the grace of God that comes down upon a fallen world to keep in check the forces of anarchy and the inclination of sinful man to self-destruct. He goes on by saying common grace raises up unpredictable vessels—men and woman who the hand of Providence serves up.
Winston Churchill once said his entire life was a preparation for some crucible in history that he walked into. We can remember Abraham Lincoln, who refused to join any established church, and Ronald Reagan, who had two divorces, were both frowned upon along with Churchill, who was also frowned upon, because of his crass and tactless vocabulary. Churchill himself framed the contest with Hitler as a “battle for Christian Civilization” and insisted “Onward Christian Soldiers” be sung on board the ship he and Franklin Delano Roosevelt met to form their alliance. So many more heroes of history turned out to be defenders of Christian values that you would not have deemed so at the beginnings of their lives.
There is a battle going on in our Christian Civilization and I want to encourage and inspire you to move onward as Christian Soldiers: “ Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before! Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward in to battle, see his banners go.”
I believe when Christians are rightly informed and motivated in and by Christ’s love, we can change the character of the political climate and have conversations even though we are in disagreement. We have lost the civility of disagreeing and debating without getting personal and emotional. The Father is calling me and you to become more of His agents of His common grace and love.
We want to touch lives without condemning and judging; we want to be agents of change through something so genuine and pure in our own hearts. And, friends, it starts in our own hearts and in our own prayer closets to intercede for our nation, for our values, for our own President Donald J. Trump, whether we like him or not. He is the “MAN” God put into our United States office of president, and if we don’t like his ways, tones or actions, let’s pray for him so transformation can happen in his heart and life.
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why is he in office?” I believe he had a call way back before the foundations of the world and we are seeing the fruit of his great-grandmother’s and mother’s prayers. Thus, Donald J. Trump is now sitting in the White House with his mother’s Bible. God has not been fooled and neither have you or I. Remember the scripture “with God ALL things are possible”…. And God will chose the foolish things that seemingly look weak and simple only to confound the wise.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. (1Corinthians 1:27-31 NIV)
An interesting fact is that when Paul wrote this to the Corinthian church, they were the laughingstock of the city and believers were looked upon as a joke to the entire Roman Empire. Many Roman governmental authorities or politicians considered Christians to be weak and religious idiots. But Yet these weak and foolish Christians evangelized the whole Roman Empire and released their commitment of standards, ethics, and morals to liberate Rome from pagan religion and paved the way for the Gospel. The word “confounds” means to put to shame, to embarrass, to confuse, to frustrate, or to baffle. Thought provoking, I would say!
When we see God choosing, calling, and anointing, we can see it to be a paradox from our human way of thinking. We would automatically select strength, intelligence, and conventional social ways with obvious characteristic traits that look good, sound good, and is the status quo. However, in God’s ways of thinking sometimes the simple, uneducated and clumsy person who is called, chosen, or anointed will confound the wise and become the strongest to rise up as a vessel to release unorthodox, unconventional, and unusual ways to bring us back to our foundations. The paradox is not by accident but by God’s design.
As Dr. Lance Wallnau, an internationally recognized speaker, business and political strategist and director of Lance Learning Group in Dallas, Texas, interviewed on CBNNews.com, says “Donald Trump is a wrecking ball to the spirit of political correctness, a man of opinions, and a man who doesn’t speak in calculated talking points of a politician. His delivery is simple and very direct and is a destabilizing threat to the vast dealing making machinery in embedded in both parties.”
"America has been unraveling for two decades and Christians are probably the people that are the most sensitive to it," Wallnau says. "What Trump represents is something like a block in the door that was closing."
"I really believe that the mercy of God intervened in this last election cycle and gave us an individual who has the willpower and the tenacity to be able to do a reset," he says.
"After I met him I heard the Lord say, 'Isaiah 45 will be the 45th president,'" he explains. "I go check it out; Isaiah 45 is Cyrus."
"Isaiah says a hundred years before this guy was born, 'I will do this for Israel's sake, though he knows me not,' which means that Trump doesn't have the experience with God that the evangelical typically would call, 'knowing God,'" Wallnau continues.
"But he's got a fear of God," he tells CBN News. "He's anointed of God. Isaiah 45 says, 'for the sake of Israel,' which would be the people of God, and so it has to do with Israel; it has to do with Christians."
Wallnau says he believes Trump is a "secular reformer" who is going to establish an environment where Christians can bring about a "spiritual reformation."
I believe what Father God is trying to do, once again in this time, is to reach the hearts of mankind as He has done throughout history so we can get back to the places of love, justice, and righteousness of God’s kingdom. And God has decided (along with the voters) that Donald J. Trump is part of God’s plan. Like it or not, he is our President.
President Trump is trying to reconnect Americans to the vision, passion, and wisdom that informed and inspired those who laid the foundation of this nation over two hundred years ago and using the Bible as a blueprint to ensure the heritage of liberty. Over thirty years ago President Reagan warned: “If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” It is time for America to return to the foundation of faith in God and its reverence for Scripture.
Let’s look at how President Donald J. Trump has strengthened American leadership, security, prosperity and accountability:
In The Washington Post on Friday, December 21, 2017, former Bush speechwriter and columnist Marc Thiessen agreed and said that Trump has proven to be successful at keeping his campaign promises. He wrote, “The fact is, in his first two years, Trump has compiled a remarkable record of presidential promise-keeping.”
The list of achievements has surpassed those of former President Ronald Regan at this time and even more so. At the two-year mark, the administration has counted up 289 accomplishments in 18 categories, capped by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
He has secured the release of 17 prisoners foreign governments had detained including Pastor Andrew Brunson, recently set free from Turkey.
Trump pledged to defend religious liberty, stand up for unborn life and appoint conservative jurists to the Supreme Court and federal appeals courts. And he has done exactly what he promised. The abortion-rights lobby NARAL complains that Trump has been “relentless” on these fronts.
The president is moving at record pace to fill the federal appeals courts with young, conservative judges who will protect life and religious freedom for decades. He also fulfilled his promise to defend the Little Sisters from government bullying, by expanding the religious and conscience exemption to the Obamacare contraception mandate to cover both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
Trump ordered the creation of the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the civil rights of doctors, nurses, and other health-care workers who refuse to take part in procedures such as abortion, reversing an Obama-era policy that required them to do so. And his Justice Department issued a 25-page guidance to federal agencies instructing them to protect the religious liberty in the execution of federal law.
The Examiner – September 5, 2018
Bob Woodward - “All I can say is the country is doing very well. We’re doing better economically just about than at any time. We’re doing better on unemployment maybe than ever. We’re having a lot of — a lot of companies are moving back into our country, which would’ve been unheard of two years ago.”
- Almost 4 million jobs created since election.
- More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
- Created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since the election.
- Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
- Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
- New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
- Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
- African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
- Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
- Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
- Women’s unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
- Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
- Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
- Veterans’ unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
- Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
- The Pledge to America’s Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans, committed to VOCATIONAL education.
- 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future—highest ever.
- Retail sales surged last month, up another 6% over last year.
- Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion dollars poured back in to the U.S. in the first quarter alone.
- As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
- Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada’s united bid for 2026 World Cup.
- Opened ANWR and Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
- Record number of regulations eliminated.
- Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
- Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
- Provided more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
- The FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts, many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases.
- Reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs, saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
- Signed Right-To-Try Legislation.
- Secured $6 billion dollars in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
- Reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16% during first year in office.
- Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
- Increased coal exports by 60%; U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
- United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
- Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
- Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
- Secured record $700 billion dollars in military funding; $716 billion next year.
- NATO allies are spending $69 billion dollars more on defense since 2016.
- Process begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the armed forces.
- Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
- Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
- Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
- Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
- Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
- Issued executive order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
- Concluded an historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA; negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
- Reached a breakthrough agreement with the EU to increase U.S. exports.
- Imposed tariffs on foreign Steel and Aluminum to protect our national security.
- Imposed tariffs on China in response to China’s forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
- Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion this year.
- Improved vetting and screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
I will end by saying this, my friends, that the story is not over in America, or with President Trump, or within each one of us. Regardless of your view politically about this man, God calls us to pray for our president and to pray for our nation and our judges.
God has always and will continue to use flawed people to do the right things:
1 Timothy 2:1-2 – I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (NIV)
Isaiah 1:26 – "Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city." (ESV)
Dear Father,
Release Your Spirit of unity, harmony, and civility back into America as we enter into this next season of elections. Father, release your blessings over President Donald J. Trump and over all his administration so they can walk in Your steps of truth, love, and self-control.
Especially help the President with his tweets and give him insight to the places of Your Holy Spirit to walk in Your self-control and in Your timing. Strengthen the eyes of his understanding and continue to release Your truth, mercy, and justice over our land.
In Jesus Name, Amen and Amen!
References used: Augustine; Christopher Dawson; Chuck Colson; Winston Churchill; Dr. Lance Wallnau – CBNNews.com; Ronald Reagan; The Examiner – Bob Woodward; The Washington Post – Marc Thiessen; The Daily Caller; David Barton, founder of WallBuilders
- Mari Anne Andersen
Write Mari Anne with any thoughts, questions or comments you may have: marianne@freedomhouseministry.com