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Senior pastor, Springs Harvest Fellowship, Colorado Springs, CO
Graduate, Christ for the Nations, Dallas, TX
Author of numerous books
'Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation'
(Destiny Image Publishers, Inc. 2005)
CBN.com
– PRAYER FOR JOHN ROBERTS
Dutch is optimistic about the nomination of Judge Roberts for several reasons, which include the following: Roberts is a strict constitutionalist who won't legislate from the Bench. Many of Dutch's conservative and pro-life friends are optimistic; the liberals are irate and terrified. Another reason is Roberts received a glowing endorsement on a conference call (which Dutch was a participant in) from Jay Sekulow, and Dutch trusts Sekulow's endorsement. Regarding the President's choice for Roberts, Dutch had very credible information, as late as the morning the nominee was announced, which assured everyone the decision was final – the choice was not Roberts. Dutch believes the President was still struggling with his decision. His best information is that the president didn't make the decision to nominate Roberts until 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Dutch shares this to let people know how much difference he believes all of the prayers made. Christians did their part to pray off of President Bush any wrong counsel he may have been receiving, and Dutch believes prayers helped the President decide upon a good choice.
By all accounts, it was a bold and uncompromising choice by the President, who was faithful to his promise of appointing a conservative. However, Dutch says we must continue to pray. He believes the confirmation process will get ugly and also feels there are more changes coming to the Court. Never have the liberal and anti-God / anti-moral forces in America been this desperate. They see their hold slipping. He also feels that the liberals will war for the next appointee after Roberts.
PRAYER FOR THE NEXT SUPREME COURT APPOINTEES
The tendency of the Church in the past is to gain a victory and relax, Dutch says. "We must not do this again. We must pray this candidate through to confirmation." He stresses that there are more changes coming to the Supreme Court. "We must do something we haven't done before -- fill the bowls of intercession in advance for the next choice (see Revelation 8:3-5). There are still many who believe the next appointment could be a moderate. This must not happen!" Dutch also says we must engage in ongoing prayer to ensure that the same thing doesn't happen to Roberts as happened with Souter and Kennedy. Believed to be conservative appointments, they quickly moved left. "No one can be certain why this happened, but it is entirely possible that they came under the influence of spiritual forces they simply had no ability to withstand. Pray for Roberts!" Dutch says, "America now faces the most important decision that she will see for many years—maybe of our lifetime. The future of America, your children, your grandchildren, the cause of Christ around the world—all of it is at stake. This is bigger than the elections of 2000 or 2004, over which millions of Christians around the world fasted, prayed, and warred spiritually. Perhaps that isn’t entirely true, because this is what that war was all about. If this decision goes the wrong way, everything accomplished in those elections is meaningless! I am speaking of the decision concerning who the next Supreme Court Justice will be." Dutch believes, in fact, there will be more than one replaced this year. He says to consider this: 60 years ago the downward spiral began with the Court manufacturing the “separation of church and state” ideology—one that had not existed for 200 years; 40 years ago prayer and Bible reading were taken from our schools—again, after 200 years of it being acceptable, even encouraged; and 30 years ago the legalized murder of babies was decreed. After 60 years of anti-God philosophy, indescribable devastation to generations of youth and almost 50 million aborted babies later, we are still trying to reverse the downward spiral. If we lose this opportunity, we may not see it again for decades, if ever. We should be praying about this more faithfully and fervently than anything we’ve prayed about in many years.
As Dutch prayed before the Roberts nomination, he became convinced that President Bush was coming under pressure from within the White House to compromise by choosing a moderate, someone who is not a strong constitutionalist and who is not strong enough for the cause of life—in essence, another O’Connor. Dutch says many individuals working in D.C. and several of his trusted prophetic friends felt the same way. The feeling becomes even stronger if another Justice retires. President Bush then has a strong conservative in Roberts along the lines of a Scalia or Thomas, and he could appoint a moderate such as O’Connor, hoping to thereby satisfy both sides. This, however, would do nothing to shift the Court—and must not happen! It is, however, what Dutch believes the President is being pressured to do. Dutch says the church is strangely silent and frighteningly inactive. It is a thousand times easier to motivate Christians to pray and let their voices be heard in a presidential race than for a Supreme Court nomination. This is not true with those who oppose us, however. They understand that the way to maintain control of America is to maintain control of the Court, and they are working feverishly to do so. He is convinced that our only hope in the battle for the soul of America is prayer. Carl Rove didn’t put President Bush in office, God did. And He put him there largely for this situation. If we, the Body of Christ, do not arise now with a massive prayer movement and turn the tide of this battle, Dutch believes we will lament it for the rest of our lives. The Church has come too far and worked too hard—and more importantly, too much is at stake to lose this spiritual war now.
HOW TO PRAY
Make radical choices to fast and pray:
1) Pray for President Bush: for wisdom, strength and boldness. Pray against any deception or compromise. Pray that any counsel not consistent with God’s will would not be received. Pray that Bush clearly hears only God’s will—even if God has to speak sovereignly through dreams or other methods.
2) Pray for the Senate that they confirm the right choice. Pray against filibustering of God’s chosen person. Pray that there will be no compromise among conservatives.
3) Pray for the appointee/s: (Dutch believes God has groomed and shaped the perfect person/s for the Court.) Pray that she or he is found, appointed, and confirmed. Pray that they have strength and wisdom for the battle.
4) Pray the Word: Isaiah 1:26; Psalms 2; Psalms 24; Isaiah 9:6-7 and others God will show you.
5) Churches: Please do not conduct business as usual. Pray in your services—and not just one or two minute prayers before messages or offerings. Pray! Take 15-20 minutes, give up sermon times, and give even entire church services to prayer. Jesus called His house “a house of prayer.”
6) Individuals: Participate in all of the above.
7) Ministries: Ditto to #5. Especially sound the alarm. Use your correspondence lists, radio programs, T.V. programs, etc., to stir people to pray.
8) Go to Dutch's Web site if you would like more help in promoting prayer. There are further prayer insights on this situation, general prayer information, and a video/DVD/CD prepared especially for this cause, The Battle for America. Thirty minute and 80 minute versions are available at a very low cost. It is packed with critical information and facts. Have numerous prayer meetings throughout the week—mornings, evenings, and lunch hours. Use this to stir up the prayer ministry of your congregation. Teach and preach on it. Encourage those able and willing to fast. Dutch's congregation is doing all of the above. Take a team/s to Washington, D.C., to pray. These should be teams of intercessors praying outside the White House, Supreme Court, and Capitol every day. Sow finances into ministries or organizations on the front lines of this battle.
RELEASING THE PROPHETIC DESTINY OF A NATION
Dutch and Chuck Pierce responded to God's burden to travel to every state of the Union to prophesy God's will, connect with past history, and release the redemptive future of each state. In this book, Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation, they recount their 50-state road trip to restore revival to America. Endowed with God-given keys of authority to reconcile America to its heavenly mandate, the two chronicle their efforts to purge the land of territorial and generational sin. They give the purpose, giftings, and calling of each state and the part that state will and MUST play in the plan of God. They also cite the history of each state as it relates to the intercession necessary to cleanse the land and to redeem lost time.
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
