I had a dream recently that I was in a grove in Middle Earth talking to a King/Wise Man. Wise and key people were gathering around him and He instructed us to call out for wisdom throughout the land and more people began to gather (they were characters from The Lord of the Rings) and I saw that the 'Fellowship" was being reconvened and began to rehearse in my mind other characters in the story/land that also had wisdom including Galadriel and Celeborn and Arwen and Aragorn. One man asked if he could invite his cousin who had victory in understanding and overcoming pancreatic cancer in her life. The king said "Yes, because she has acquired wisdom in that arena." As everyone began to disperse in order to gather those who had wisdom, I piped in and asked if I could ask a question. He turned to me with patience and I asked what seemed to be an absolutely crucial question. "Can you tell us why we need wisdom at this time?" and he said "Yes, because we believe war is at hand again." The last time I dreamt of war was just before the renewal broke out and it was the beginning of both a blessed and yet very challenging time. There was a battle for souls and for wisdom and understanding in the Church. I submit that to you as you consider the dream and read the article. love, t
January 28, 2008
Bob Hartley:"The LION'S Second ROAR--Building Cities that Love God Well"The Lion's Second Roar:
Building Cities that Love God Well
In 1983, I had been asking the Lord what the desires of His heart were. His answer came to me in an open vision in a stairwell. The Lord showed me a vision of a city in which God was being loved well in all areas of life. The Lord also showed me those who were called "City Builders." These individuals would rebuild cities and would sing the "Song of Wisdom," which represents the knowledge of God. These City Builders would have the wisdom and love to rebuild cities and would teach others to love the Lord with excellence. In this open vision, the Lord began to reveal characteristics of these City Builders who would sing the Song of Wisdom. He showed me values which would be highly esteemed by these builders and the tools they would use to advance the Kingdom of God in these cities. With these advance tools, they would be able to rebuild cities that "love God well" and help others discover the heart of God in every arena of life. In previous visions, the Lord spoke to me about the discovery of the "forgotten faces of God," which were areas where we have forsaken the knowledge of the Holy (i.e. the Benevolent face of God). These City Builders would have authority to receive the revelation of God's heart and would bring others into a greater understanding of it.
More recently, He has begun to speak to me through a vision about the "Lion's Second Roar". This is a call for City Builders to love God well and to sing the Song of Wisdom with 'authority and ferocity.'
"The History of the "First Roar": The Call to Spiritual Mothers and Fathers
In a visitation from the Lord in 2005, He spoke to me about how the spiritual mothers and fathers (marketplace people) had been brought to the Lord's Holy Mountain and were given joy through a vision in His house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7). The Lord spoke to me that the spiritual mothers and fathers had received a vision like Moses in Exodus 26:30, which says, "Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain." After the Lord spoke this to me, I saw them come down the mountain with the vision, and then the events of Isaiah 56:9 began to happen among them, "All you beasts of the field, all you beasts in the forest, come to eat…" This represented their mountaintop experience, but when they descended, they lost perspective and chose to see with their eyes instead of their faith (hearts).I am aware that this verse (Isaiah 56:9) is about the accusations against the wicked, but in my visitation of the Lord, it was also about spiritual mothers and fathers in the marketplace who were coming into the valley after receiving the vision. They had been given a vision to see their city love God well, but the "beasts of the field" (worries, worldly concerns and fears) devoured the vision of the Lord.
In Exodus 32, when Moses came down the mountain into the valley, the circumstances he faced were devastating (people had constructed a golden calf and were immoral). Moses could have easily sacrificed the vision because of the circumstances and completely lost hope. However, he chose to see more with his eyes closed rather than with his eyes open. He was not blinded by what he saw. He had faith and understood that the vision of the Lord would come to pass--even when it did not match the circumstances around him. The Lord showed me that the spiritual mothers and fathers of the marketplace went down and the beasts of the field came after them. I dreamt that they had been stabbed in the "belly of their ideals" and had lost their way. These beasts were able to devour many, and the vision of the Lord was sacrificed. The marketplace people became blind and lacked knowledge as in Isaiah 56:10, which says, "His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber..." They were not able to roar for their dream. Instead, they would sleep with a slumber of sorrow. They had turned inward and lacked true understanding of God's plans in the marketplace. Spiritual mothers and fathers had turned to their own way and sought their own gain, security and protection. Many of us had chosen the "Esau Lifestyle," where spiritual mothers and fathers were giving up their spiritual inheritance in God for physical provision. They had gotten into the world and reaching for God was too hard for them. They had become full of doubt, and the only reason the devil was keeping them alive was so that they could spread doubt and unbelief to their children and their grandchildren. However, the Lord had another plan. They would desperately need a recovery program called the "Daniel Lifestyle."
Restoring the Lost Vision & Coming into the "Second Roar"
The Lord showed me that He would have mercy as in Hosea 2:14, where He would allure spiritual mothers and fathers into the wilderness and speak tenderly to them. Although they had given into the gods of the world, He would bring them back to the mountaintop and give them a "Second Roar." In order to accomplish this, He would have to draw them into the wilderness and speak kindly to them, restoring their true affections. He would give them their "second roar" as they sought Him with all of their heart and committed to choose the right lifestyle--the Daniel Lifestyle. Those who had a vision from the Lord at one time, but had it devoured, would be given another opportunity to roar with their vision for a second time. They had roared first when they had received their vision, but their vision was based on circumstances falling into place, not on the divine order of the Lord.
This first roar was from the "outside" out. It was based on circumstances and on a "if everything goes right" mentality. The second roar, however, was like the roar Shadrach, Meshach and AbedNego had when they said, "Our God will deliver! But even if He doesn't, we're not about to bow to what everybody else bowed to" (Daniel 3:17, paraphrased). These ones would roar for a second time on the basis of an "eternal perspective." They were not looking at the promises of circumstances. They were those who would sing the Song of Wisdom and were God's pioneers--they would keep reaching and never stop roaring! If necessary, they knew their bones would cry out for the vision to come to pass, but they believed for each day. They had faith in a Big God now! This was the "second roar" of the spiritual mothers and fathers in the marketplace.
Survival
This past summer, I had the opportunity to discuss the current condition of the marketplace with Bob Jones who has been a longtime friend. He stated that marketplace individuals have been on "the other side of the Jordan," where the goal was just to stay alive within the marketplace. He felt that spiritual mothers and fathers had lost their roar of vision for their cities; they were now merely focusing on survival. Bob went on to explain that it was now time to cross over to the other side of the Jordan into the Promised Land. It was now time to take "with a roar" the cities they had been called to reach. The seasons had changed; there had been a great shift. Although doors had been closed in the past, believers would now be able to do things they had not been able to do before. They needed fresh faith to recognize the open doors and step into the new season.
The Problem of Doubt
Doubt and unbelief were the greatest obstacles hindering marketplace believers from roaring again. They had begun to put themselves in prisons of their own making; these prisons were called "doubt" and had been birthed out of the failures from the first roar. In the prisons of doubt, it had become easier not to believe in God's goodness and faithfulness. Those in prisons of doubt were shortsighted and lacked the perspective it took to build a city of faith and wisdom. They had adopted three "wrong ways of seeing," through these lenses of doubt.
The first wrong view was of the "nature of prayer," and how God answers. Their prayer times were weak, doubtful and lacking as they mostly focused on unanswered prayer, their problems, and their own limitations. They needed eyeglasses to give them a corrected perspective of prayer. Often they would put God in a box, expecting Him to meet them on their own terms, or in a particular way or time. They did not know how to look to His goal and His vision and have trust in His prevailing faithfulness.
The second wrong way of seeing was of their "personal history" and God's goodness in it. They perceived their history as a history of where God was not, instead of where He had been throughout the difficult circumstances of their lives. This misinterpretation missed the goodness of God and focused on the bitterness and the mistakes of the past. These ones who roar the second time would need to become fresh in perspective of God's proven faithfulness to them. Then they would be ready to roar the second roar with no hindrance of bitterness or doubt.
The final wrong way of seeing was "of themselves." They viewed themselves as "less-than Christians," and they doubted the power of their own cry before God and their ability to roar again. Limited by their own self-condemnation, they did not correctly perceive their own position before God and His affection towards them. To think less of God's love for us is an injustice to Him and the Cross. And if we are unable to receive His love, we don't walk in our full authority and position before Him, and we limit our ability to impact and bless the lives of others.
The Doubt Addicts
Many marketplace individuals had actually become "doubt addicts." Presently, doubt was the socially accepted disease in our midst. To have a doubt addict in the room was disastrous for children, extended family, businesses, etc., yet it was fully accepted! The enemy was excited about keeping doubt addicts alive so that they could spread their doubt to all who were around them and into the city. I saw some that were living in the "woe is me, the ship is going down," mentality, without a perspective of faith or understanding of God's heart. The Lord said in this season it was not okay for His people to repeat their problems and pain without looking, in the fear of the Lord, to God's faithfulness; because to doubt Him is to malign His character. They needed to be in a place of satisfaction and contentment with Who God was to them and what He had done for them.
Many of God's people have been given much, but were thankful for little. "Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore...you will serve your enemies" (Deuteronomy 28:47-48). Because the Israelites did not serve God in gladness and thankfulness, recognizing their prosperity and the goodness of God towards them, they were condemned to serve their enemies. Today, in the absence of thankful hearts, many have been handed over to their enemies of "depression and fear."
The Second Roar
I saw that it was now time for City Builders to roar again with a "second roar." This roar was unlike the first roar of marketplace believers. This cry would be based on cultivated faith and spiritual vision that superseded circumstances. It was beyond zeal. It was based on real love and would be founded on a vision coming from the inside--an internal reality of deeper understanding. In this second roar, wisdom and longsighted faith would go hand in hand with enthusiastic love. The second roar would be different, it would last and it would profoundly influence different cities across the world.
Those who roared again, a second roar, would have a new perspective of their circumstances based on marveling at Jesus--that He would be magnified above their circumstances. This is where the first roar had been derailed. People had looked to their circumstances above God's leading hand. The second roar would be fueled by prayer. By praying continually, City Builders would receive new lenses of love for God and life. Circumstances would be seen through the eyes of faith as people turned their hearts towards Heaven, daily. As part of the promise from God, they would also be given "marvelous comrades," true friends who would stand with each other and fight for each other while providing encouragement and friendship. This vision based on faith, coupled with earnest prayer and marvelous camaraderie would empower marketplace people with a roar that would transform cities. These cities would become all they were ever meant to be as they loved God well.
A Proclamation Lifestyle
Proclamation was to come forth with strength. There was to be a proclamation full of belief in the goodness of God versus what they lacked and what the Lord had not done. As they roared this second roar with a proclamation of God's goodness, cities were transformed in the glory of His presence.
Bob Hartley Deeper WatersEmail: deeperwaters@sbcglobal.netBob Hartley's
Bio:Bob Hartley is currently the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hartley's Executive Cleaning in Kansas City, MO. Before entering the marketplace, Bob served as a pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship. Also, he was a missionary in Africa and Israel, an area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a chapel leader for the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Bob serves on the Board of Directors for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Kansas City Inner City Outreach to Youth and the Inner City Outreach to Alcoholics. He travels extensively in order to encourage the Body of Christ. As one who carries the vision of the Joseph Company, he is a frequent speaker at Regional and local JoCo events. Currently, Bob resides in Kansas City with his wife and four children. Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.ElijahList Publications310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email: info@elijahlist.netPhone 1-541-926-3250
