Prophecy for Thailand By Chuck Pierce

Jaisamarn Church, Bangkok

24 August, 2008

The Lord would say to you…

“I AM beginning to surround this Nation.  I would say I AM going to break out first in the North, then I AM going to move into the South, then I AM going to move into the West, then I AM going to move to the East.  I say to you   I AM going to move in a very peculiar way over these next 3 years. For My Wind will be like a whirlwind around this Nation.  I AM going to move with the young ones first, then I AM going to move and start raising up the evangelists for this region.  I say there will be a thousand of evangelists that arise from this Nation.  I say then 10,000 will go out.  I say to you as I move around this Nation, I will begin to converge on this city (Bangkok). This city (Bangkok) has a demonic force that I AM ready to break.  I will start moving from around the Nation with worship gatherings from the North, from the South, from the West and from the East and then you will worship in this city (Bangkok) for 40 days, saith the Lord.”

“I say I will draw the young generation to this city (Bangkok) and they will camp and worship.  I say to you…every strategy that the enemy has to hold captive the youth of this city will break.  It will begin to be heard worldwide how Bangkok is changing.  Because there is a sound rising up.  I say as you worship it will rain and the winds will blow and you will worship more.  And the cities will flood.  But the churches will be filled with My worshippers and My sound will overcome the sound of the enemy in this Land.”

“I say to you it is time and it is already beginning.  I say teams will come and go with you as you worship around this Nation.  The Nations that surround this Nation will begin to come to the borders and say ‘Come over..come over and worship with us.’  I say to the leaders of this Nation, “Get ready” and the leaders of the church of this city, “Get ready.”  For you will open up your doors and they will be filled with worshipping, worshipping, worshipping saints filled with My Fire.  I say the change is now come to this Land.  I will be like a FIRE that drives the snake out of its covering and no longer will it be able to vex this nation.”

Let’s give it a shout up into heaven!!

Let’s Stand up…… stand up

I (Chuck) want you to stay standing.  I (Chuck) want you to decree with me..

 “The time of new beginning is on this Nation.  The Time of travail is now on this nation.  A new birth has come to this land.  A generation is being birthed.  The Spirit of Revelation is coming down on this Land.   The gates of harvests are opening.  This land will be refined and cleansed.  New supplies will come into God’s Kingdom people.  The Generations now will align.   Generations are coming into alignment.”

Give one more shout…..

Here is the Word that the Lord has been speaking to me over and over for Thailand.  He has spoken to me clearly all year.  He has said, “The Nation that I have chosen that it is now time for CHANGE is THAILAND.”

And He has said to me “You will be known as the Nation of Fire!!”

This Nation is now being released under the Fire of God.  That means a new passion of the Lord will overtake this ENTIRE NATION.

“The Spirit of God says Thailand is going to be baptized with fire.  HE has said to me (Chuck) that this is your defining time.  The leaders of the movement of God in this region are ready to advance into their next anointing.  A new generation is rising filled with passion and fire.  There from this night forward, the Spirit of God will start circling this Nation.  HIS Fire and Passion will come alive in such a way in this Nation that the Fire began to burn in this Nation.  It will move into this city in the next 3 years.  There will be a Great Awakening in Bangkok, Thailand.  The Lord says ‘Do not despise a small begin for I already began in this Nation.’ ” 

This is the final thing HE has asked for me to do.  I (Chuck) was given a special gift at the beginning of this Hebrew Year.  It was a tallit from Israel (better known as a prayer shawl - transcriber). Yet it was one different than I had ever seen before.  I have carried it with me and I have looked at and I have asked God about it.  As I would pray about it the Lord said this is the Mantle for the Nation of Thailand.  So though I carried to other nations, the Lord would not allowed me to released this until I got to this Nation.  Not only I am to release it I am to give it to give it to this Nation as the sign of the New Covering that is coming over this Land.

I want us to stand up again. I feel that I am to ask Randy (Randy Nelson) if he would come here with me.

This gift is not for Randy but this gift is to be entrusted to Randy so he can move it throughout this entire Nation so he can pass it from church to church, from generation to generation.  The Lord says there will come a time where this belongs in a certain church.  The Lord says there will be youth meetings where this belongs in that meeting.  For over the next 3 years, I am going to cover this Nation in a new way.  And the Lord also says to you, son (Randy), you will align the other Nations around this Nation and they too will come under this Mantle.  What makes this tallit special was this.  It was called “The Fire Tallit.”  I have never seen another tallit quite like this.  It says you shall receive Fire and the Holy Ghost will come upon you.

Chuck asked Pastor Poomwanate and some pastors and leaders to come up on stage.  Chuck prayed, “Father, I come right now and I say A NEW COVERING in the atmosphere of this Nation is beginning to occur this night.  I say now Thailand will be known as the Nation of Holy Ghost Fire. 

Father, we decree right now that this Mantle is now being raised over this Nation.  The Lord would say, “Look up for I AM setting a FIRE  I say now I will shift the government of this Land in a new way.  For I will say I will loose FIRE to purge that which is not ruling the way that I long for my Rule to occur.  I (Chuck) see like 6 different heads and the Lord says I AM raising a new head and it will display my Head of Fire.  For I will cover my people now.  They will come alive and I say to you from this night forward, I will surround this Nation with the Fire of God. between the powers and principalities that have ruled this Nation and my people that are now coming alive in this nation.

Let’s give a shout….

Lord, I decree this night the present leadership of your church is now under a new fire mantle.  And I decree that the next 2 generations will be filled the Fire of God.  I say what the enemy has meant to stop in this Land no longer can be stopped, saith the Lord.  I am going to ask Randy to receive this on behalf of these leaders and the leaders will accept this new Mantle and then the FIRE of God will begin across this Nation in a new way.

Randy Nelson prayed on behalf of the church accepting this Mantle.  While praying, he declared the Word of the Lord over the leaders and people.

Father, I (Randy) want to declare to all of the leaders and pastors, each and every person.  This fire will be upon this land will soon be upon you and will change this country.  You will see the harvest that God has shown you for so many years.

Father, tonight, I (Randy) want to declare and say to the leaders of Thailand.

The Fire of God is going to be upon you.  You are going to spread this Fire throughout your city.  The Fire will fall on you.  Fire that comes from heaven that is going to burn up every that the enemy tries to do and open heavens upon you.  You will be able to hear the Lord, be able to see his face, be able to know what to do.  No longer will you say that I cannot hear the Lord you will rejoice in the day that the Lord says, “You will hear my voice and you will move forward.”

Chuck took the tallit and lay in on the pulpit and prayed.

Father, we decree every pulpit in the Nation will come alive with your FIRE.  Father, I make a decree tonight to a generation of idolatry that has stopped the Word and Power of God will now burn away.  From the pulpit we decree a waving fire going out across the people.  We say “Receive the fire of God and move forward and advance throughout this Nation. 

Now turn around and lay hand on someone and decree a new fire of God is coming alive in their lives.

Grab someone’s hand and say, “Thailand is now under a new authority of God.”

Luke 18:27 says, “The things which are impossible with men are possible WITH GOD.” We like to hear about man’s possibilities with God, but what exactly does the phrase “with God” mean? “With God” can certainly mean being born again. In the New Birth, He is not only with us but in us. However, there’s more to receiving God’s blessings and experiencing His greater glory.
In the New Birth, we become qualified to be partakers of God’s divine nature and heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus. But how do we actually partake of the blessings and glory of God? How do we receive and experience them for ourselves?
So many people accept Jesus Christ as Savior, and then that’s that. They don’t receive Him as Lord of their lives. They don’t go any deeper in their walk with Him.  They go back to living their lives the best they know how and waiting for the Sweet By-and-By when they’ll walk those heavenly streets of gold. But the “with God” that makes man’s impossibilities possible also means that we’re following Him. In other words, our being “with God” is a lifestyle, not just an event.
Let’s look at further at Luke 18:27 and the verses that follow.

LUKE 18:27–30 (NIV)
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.

Talking about himself and the other disciples, Peter told Jesus, “We have left everything to follow You.”
Did you know that to follow God sometimes means giving up some things or making a sacrifice? It may mean leaving a group of friends you’ve been associating with who don’t want to wholeheartedly follow God. It may mean moving to a certain place in obedience to Him and giving up the comfort of familiar surroundings. It could mean any number of things. But if you will follow God with your whole heart, He will give you more than you ever had before.
When Peter said to Jesus, “We’ve left everything to follow You,” notice Jesus’ reply: “…No one who has done these things will fail to receive many times as much in this age and then, in the age to come, eternal life” (vv. 29–30).
You never give up anything for God that He won’t prosper and bless you many times more as a result. Sometimes people want to see the blessing before they do the giving up. That’s where faith comes in. You have to believe Luke 18:27–30: that the God who does the impossible will increase you in every area of your life as you follow after Him. So don’t just sit around and try to figure out with your head, your natural human intellect, whether or not God will bless you. Just follow Him with all your heart. Obey Him in everything you do, and the blessings will come.
We know that if we’re “with God,” we’re following Him. But let’s break that down further. What does it mean to follow God? It means that if we’re “with God,” we have priorities—not our priorities, but His.
If you were to take a course in time management, one of the first things you’d learn is that you need to prioritize your activities, tasks, and goals so you can get a clearer picture of the things that are most important in your life. Then you could devote more of your time to those things.
When God’s priorities become your priorities, you will put Him and His Word first in your life. And it’s not an option; it’s a necessity. You won’t put friends first. You won’t even put listening to tapes, reading teaching materials, and attending special meetings first. You will put Him first! Those other things can help you, but they can’t take the place of the Word and of your fellowship with God.
You can always tell when a person is putting God and His Word first in his or her life. It’s not the absence of tests or trials that determines whether a person is putting God first. It’s what that person does in the midst of a test or trial that shows where his or her priorities lie. When you’re putting God first, you won’t wring your hands and worry, saying, “Oh, God, what am I going to do?” No, you will have already armed yourself with the Word of God, and you will begin to speak it out. What you have put in your heart will eventually come out of your mouth.
When a sponge becomes saturated with some kind of liquid, it’s not easy to recognize what liquid is in the sponge until the sponge is squeezed. Then whatever is in that sponge comes pouring out. In much the same way, when the pressures of life come against you, whatever your heart is full of will come pouring out of your mouth.
Another aspect of putting first things first is not only putting God and His Word first, but putting His will first. If we are going to follow God, we are going to have to put His desires above our desires and choose His will for our lives over our own.
The choice to put God’s will for our lives first is a decision that we will have to reaffirm throughout our lives. The decision to do the will of God takes continual dedication and consecration; it’s not just something we say to the Lord one time, and that’s it.
If you haven’t already done so, I challenge you to put God’s desires for your life above your own. He made you and has created you for a very special purpose. You can trust Him to cause that purpose to be fulfilled in your life. And it will be better than anything you could have planned on your own.
We’ve seen that if we’re really “with God”—if we’re really following Him—number one, we’re putting first things first; we’re putting God, His Word, and His will first. And number two, we’re learning to be led by the Spirit of God.
You can train yourself to be sensitive to the Greater One within you, the Holy Ghost, and to follow His leading even if your mind wants to do something else.  For example, have you ever been in a situation in which your heart, your spirit, was saying one thing, but your mind was saying something else? Sometimes your mind can scream at you, especially when the pressure is on. But when you get quiet and begin to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to your spirit, you will know what to do. Your mind will argue, Yes, but I can’t figure that out. I just don’t see how that can work out.
But, friend, you don’t always have to have everything figured out! Follow the Spirit of God, and He will always lead you in line with the Word to victory and success.
In review, how do we know we’re really following God and positioning ourselves to receive His blessings and walk in His greater glory? Number one, we’re putting God, His Word and His will first. And number two, we’re learning to be led by the Spirit of God.
Now, number three, following God means we are committed to following Him as a lifestyle. We are committed to putting Him, His Word, and His will first on a continual basis. And we are committed to following the leading of the Holy Spirit.
We need to have the attitude that we are going to wholeheartedly commit ourselves to following the One who knows more about us than we know about ourselves and who cares more about whether we prosper and succeed than we do! He has our best interests at heart; we can trust Him with our life!
These things are what it means to be “with God” and to follow Him. If we are “with God,” we are putting God, His Word, and His will first; we are learning to be led by the Spirit of God and we are committed to doing these things despite the sacrifices we think we may have to make to do them.
Whatever you think you may be sacrificing to follow God is nothing compared to the rewards of following Him. Whatever you leave behind in order to obey Him is nothing compared to what you will receive from Him, both in this life and the next (1 Tim 4:8).
Someone might argue, “Well, you sound so certain, but I’m just not sure.” People like that often find themselves feeling dissatisfied and unfulfilled. They’re questioning rather than believing. They haven’t reached the point in their walk where they can say with full assurance of faith, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it!”
When the pressures and tests and trials of life come to try to steal from us and to make us doubt, we have let the infallible truth of God’s Word be our rock and the foundation on which we stand.  We have to maintain our commitment to following God, His Word, and His will for our lives, no matter what. And we have to steadfastly follow the leading of His Spirit.
Many Christians will start out believing God when they’re in a test or trial. They study God’s Word just a little bit, but when the circumstances don’t improve, they give up. They’re not committed to God and His Word. 
But, to receive the full measure of God’s blessing—to partake of and participate in His greater glory—we’re going to have to do our homework spiritually. We’re going to have to dig deep into the Word and obey what we find that He has told us to do. Then having done all to stand, we must stand and then stand some more (Eph. 6:13)! We must stand our ground, no matter how badly we may be hurting on the inside, knowing that God will not let us down.
Your heart may be broken and your mind may be shouting at the top of its voice, You’re not going to make it! There’s no way out of this! You may have to bite your lip to keep from giving in to hysteria and desperation. You may have to just close your eyes and cling in faith to the Master, because all you can see is hopelessness with no way out! But if you will hold to the truth that the answer to your problem is possible with God, you will make it through! You’ll come out of that test or trial and experience the fullness of God’s blessing.
As you trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, you’ll begin to get a new mindset, a new way of thinking. Then when your mind screams at you, Impossible, out of your spirit, a different cry will arise: Possible with God! Obstacles will be moved and you’ll receive the breakthroughs you need so that the plan of God can go forth in your life, and you can experience greater manifestations of His glory.

---

Jermaine Kiang

Love Always Protects

by Max Lucado

Genesis 3:21 has been called the first gospel sermon. Preached not by preachers, but by God himself. Not with words, but with symbol and action.

“The LORD God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife and dressed them” (Gen. 3:21).

God covers them. He protects them.

Love always protects.

Hasn’t he done the same for us? We eat our share of forbidden fruit. We say what we shouldn’t say. Go where we shouldn’t go. Pluck fruit from trees we shouldn’t touch.

So what does God do? Exactly what he did for our parents in the garden. He sheds innocent blood. He offers the life of his Son. And from the scene of the sacrifice the Father takes a robe—not the skin of an animal—but the robe of righteousness. And does he throw it in our direction and tell us to shape up? No, he dresses us himself. He dresses us with himself. “You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ” (Gal. 3:26–27).

God has clothed us. He protects us with a cloak of love. Can you look back over your life and see instances of God’s protection? I can too. My junior year in college I was fascinated by a movement of Christians several thousand miles from my campus. Some of my friends decided to spend the summer at the movement’s largest church and be discipled. When I tried to do the same, every door closed. Problem after problem with finances, logistics, and travel.

A second opportunity surfaced: spending a summer in Brazil. In this case, every door I knocked on swung open. Two and one half decades later I see how God protected me. The movement has become a cult—dangerous and oppressive. Time in Brazil introduced me to grace—freeing and joyful. Did God protect me? Does God protect us?

And you? Did he keep you from a bad relationship? Protect you from the wrong job? Insulate you from _______________ (you fill in the blank)? “Like hovering birds, so will [the LORD Almighty] protect Jerusalem” (Isa. 31:5 JB). “He will strengthen and protect you” (2 Thess. 3:3 NIV). “He will command his angels … to guard you” (Ps. 91:11 NIV). God protects you with a cloak of love.

Being a woman in our current society is tough. TV shows, magazines, movies, and other media outlets attempt to convince women to measure themselves according to society's standards. However, doing so limits the beauty of a woman. According to the world, you have to be a certain size, height, skin tone and have a certain type of hairstyle or clothing style to be considered beautiful. What does a woman do to uphold her self-image in a world where advertisements are flooded with influences that promote worldly beauty? That's where she draws the line by refusing to conform to society's image of beauty and renews her mind with the Word of God.

Due to impossible worldly standards, countless women have developed a poor self–image. Fear of not measuring up has caused them to develop harmful habits to prove their beauty and self—worth. For example, some women may spend all their money trying to keep up with the latest styles in beauty, fashion, and nearly starving themselves just to be thin. However, this type of behavior almost always leads to self destruction.

Women who have problems with their self–image are often bitter, angry and attitudinal. When a woman doesn't know how to treat herself, she will most likely mistreat others. The Bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. However, if you've never learned to love yourself, you can't possibly love anyone else.

Proverbs 31 is an excellent guide for all women, because this woman doesn't suffer from a poor self—image. Interestingly, the proverb doesn't describe this woman's physical appearance, yet by her works we see her beauty radiated from within. I'm not saying run yourself into the ground trying to do everything this woman did! However, take note of how she lived her life and became a woman who was celebrated above all women. She was a woman of elegance and extraordinary intelligence because she honored God.

Proverbs 31:10 says the price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. She is rare, precious, and esteemed above treasured jewels. As a woman, you have to understand your worth according to God's Word. You can be the woman you've always wanted to be when you begin to see yourself as God sees you.
Make a quality decision to define your standard of beauty by the Word of God. When your self–confidence comes as a result of a personal relationship with God, you'll realize that you're loved, precious, and beautiful in His sight!

We sometimes forget how important our words really are.  The Bible says life and death is in the power of the tongue.  We need to remember to speak positive words when the circumstances of life urge us to be negative and pessimistic. (Proverbs 18:21)

As you read this story, please try to think about the words that you are speaking concerning your life.  Are you speaking words of blessing and prosperity, or are you speaking words of defeat and misery? Hope this story ministers to your heart to be positive no matter what the circumstances are and no matter how hard the enemy is trying to discourage you.

LIFE IS AN ECHO
A son and his father were walking in the mountains.  Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention." And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.  Then the father explains: "People call this an echo, but really this is life.  It gives you back everything you say or do.  Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.  If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it.

Author Unknown

We are not always conscious to the fact that our words are creators.  We either create life by the words that we speak or we create our own downfalls by the words that we speak.  The Bible says that we are snared by the words of our mouth, meaning that by our negative words we are directing our life in the wrong direction instead of the positive words that lead our life in the right direction. (Proverbs 6:2) (Proverbs 18:21)

We need to remember that God's word is true.  Every promise that God has made will come to pass and if we do not follow His rules, then we are not going to live the overcoming abundant life that God wishes for each of us to live. 

The Bible declares in Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."  We should not expect to be overcomers when we are constantly complaining about how hard life is.  The negative words that we speak are dictating the future that we will live.

The Bible says in Joel 3:10, "...Let the weak Say they are strong".  In the midst of your trial or hardship, speak only positive and overcoming words. When you feel weak and unable to continue, do not complain about your weakness because you will stay just like that, but rather when you feel weak and discouraged I challenge you to say, "The Lord is my strength and my salvation, whom shall I fear?"  Say out loud, "The Lord promises to meet every one of my needs and I will be the head and not the tail.  I will be prosperous and blessed every day and nothing shall by any means worry me." (Psalm 27:1) (Deuteronomy 28:13) (3 John 2)

Remember God created us in His image and the Bible says that God created the world and all that is in it by speaking the words of faith and every word that God spoke became what He said.  We have the same power to create by the words that we speak.  Be encourage to try God in this and only speak positive words concerning your life and see the blessings that come with lifting your life up instead of breaking it down. (Genesis 1:26-28)

Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Job 15:5-6 “For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty.  Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.”

Matthew 12:36-37 Jesus says, “…Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Ephesians 4:29-32 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
All scriptures can be found in the New King James Version.

God's Ways Are Not Our Ways

by Sarah Jeanne

Throughout Christianity, it's pretty safe to say that most ministries are their own unique entities. That is, they are different from one another and that is OK. We serve an awesome and diverse God and He is amazingly creative. (Have you ever seen a duck-billed platypus? Exactly.) But one common goal should exist in all ministries, whether you are building churches or making blockbuster films- reach the people around you with the pure love of Jesus. No matter what specific calling is present, you cannot escape relating to the people of the world.

You don't have to be in the office of an evangelist to evangelize. Even a well-timed smile can relay God's love to the down and out person passing you on the sidewalk. For me, it's been incredible to see how God will even take the most high-pressured situations and turn them into lasting impressions on those who don't know Him as personally as I do. Sometimes the preaching of the good news can come in the most unexpected of ways.

Before I totally turned my life over to God to use me as He wanted to, I was a bit of a wild child in the San Francisco night life. I sang backup and danced with a pretty risque band who performed in clubs and bars all over California. I went to innumerable concerts, underground parties, ravaged New Orleans once a year at the annual Jazz Fest, played at the Renaissance Faire and even went to Burning Man. Life was one party to the next, with no end in sight. I met a lot of amazing, creative people and befriended a lot of them. One was a man I got acquainted with through mutual friends was an incredible man named Che.

Che is a phenomenally talented individual. Artistic, mechanically and technically sound, he can do just about anything- and usually does. When the same friend who brought me to WYSIWYG brought Che, it totally made my day. Though not totally given over to Christianity at the onset of coming to the church, Che none-the-less jumped in full force and helped our office with some major IT issues we were having at the time. Now, Che is not your typical looking individual (Thank God!) He had piercings, long hair and facial hair- a goatee that he usually braided in front. Knowing Che outside of the church and before I committed my life to Christ, I knew he could have a little temper when he wanted to. I wondered how he would do with some of our 'go with the flow' days we have sometimes… days where we let the Spirit of God take over and do what He will. I prayed Che could hang in there and get whatever it was God wanted to download to him.

It was around that time that we all went to Italy for a test shoot on our film Gravity. Che was asked to go with us due to his technical experience and work ethic he displayed around the office the months prior. On the set in Italy, he proved once again to be the hard worker he was in the States, though a little gruff around the edges at times. He still swore sometimes and got frustrated with non-working equipment easily. But something happened a week into the trip.

We had lugged our 70-mm Showscan camera to Italy to film with. One of the purposes of this film shoot was for us to show this footage taken with the 70-mm film camera and compare it to our newly designed Abraham camera, which is a 70-mm digital cinema camera. But several problems arose with the Showscan- an old and cumbersome unit. Several times the camera jammed, the timing went out, etc. It was during one of these times something amazing to me happened. I saw the grip crew gathered around in a huddle, the camera on the ground in front of them. Suddenly, Che got the attention of the entire crew. "Hey you guys, can we please all gather around this camera right now and pray for it? We need a miracle." I was totally taken aback. As I proceeded to listen to Che actually lead a prayer for the camera to work, I couldn't help but remember only a year earlier hanging out at the Burning Man festival with this man. Yet here we both were- submitted to God for the moment. It was truly incredible. The camera started working and we all started rejoicing. In the years since this miracle, I have lost touch with Che. He went his own way, but I know God touched his life in that moment Che let Him in and worked through him.

Another amazing story is that of a documentary filmmaker named Michael Jacobs. Some of you might have seen the documentary done on WYSIWYG called "Audience of One." It's a raw look of one year of life at WYSIWYG, some good and some not so flattering, that Michael complied after spending hours and hours, days and days with us. When Michael first came to the church to pitch his idea for this project, he met with Pastor Richard Gazowsky and let him know honestly that he didn't really believe in God. He wasn't sure what he believed, but he was pretty sure it wasn't God. He was a Jewish guy from Colorado with a live-in girlfriend who was going to school for psychology or some really smart people science. He had a love of film and had made a documentary prior to this. He was personable, but removed- as all really good documentary filmmakers should be.

Over the 2 years he filmed us, we got to know Michael very well. The further he tried to stay neutral, the more we love-bombed him. Not because of the film- there ended up being many cringe-worthy moments for us all in that!- but because we could truly see the destiny and fortitude of this young man's life. We couldn't help but be drawn to him, for God put him in our path for a reason. We watched as his live-in girlfriend, Spencer, became his fiancé and eventually, his wife. She visited the church with him one day as he filmed and ended up getting words of prophecy that touched her so much, tears ran down her face as she smiled. Michael tried to be really hard-edged with his documentary and his editor was determined to really 'stick it to these Christians,' as that seemed a sure-fire route to go, especially with the new release and success of 'Jesus Camp.' But something started happening to Michael as he got more in depth. He started having nightmares during the editing process… approx. 100 nights of bad sleep tormented him until he realized he could not take the film in that direction. He began to question more and more just what he was up against. As the project progressed, Michael went from telling people he didn't really believe in God to he 'knew there was something there but he wasn't sure what.' He went from self-diagnosed atheist to agnostic in a matter of months. But the most incredible moment for me knowing Michael came the night of the San Francisco premiere of "Audience of One."

After the film premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Michael brought Pastor Richard and his family on stage for the traditional Q&A session. I watched in amazement as question after question about God was brought up to the Pastor and his family. But suddenly, the question was directed at Michael, "So what did you learn in all of this?" from an audience member. I assume it was from a very knowledgeable and with-it film critic/lover/affecienado. Michael answered without a pause, "Well, I believe in God now." It was just like the Scripture: From out of the heart, the mouth speaks. For the next few seconds, time stopped. You could see the shock on Michael's face form as he realized what he just said. He had said it with a small laugh, but the weight of his words stunned the audience. You could have heard a pin drop. Pastor Richard looked at Michael and Michael at Richard, pointing at one another in stunned silence. All Michael could say afterwards while looking at Richard was, "Oh no- no, no!" while laughing. The whole audience laughed as the two embraced in a friendly manner.

God's ways are not our ways. These two men are not serving God in the manner that we are, but their lives have been touched by the hand of God Himself. The transformation I saw happen in both of these cases was a source of inspiration and joy for me to keep 'walking the good walk and fighting the good fight.' Making a difference in one life can cause a butterfly effect in all the other lives that one comes in contact with. It is because the people of this world need to know there is another way that we keep on soldiering, keep on loving and yes, keep on making movies. Because as our company's mission statement reads, we earnestly desire to "bring the presence of God to the people of the world through entertainment."
Sarah Jeanne is unit production team leader for Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks. She was one of the leaders in Italy for our 70mm film test shot, which was featured in the film "Audience of One".

August 10, 2008

What's the Response; When the Bottom Drops Out

by Richard Gazowsky

This week's blog from Pastor Richard: I'm standing in the face of impossible financial hurdles. Each hurdle to be crossed was set up by God. I did it under His command.

Most people would be under extreme stress, but not me; I've been in this situation before. One of the reasons I'm so comfortable is that I see a cloud the size of a man's hand. If you are a Christian, you recognize the spiritual metaphor: it refers to Elijah the prophet in the time of extensive drought in Israel. He saw the small cloud on the horizon and quickly ran. By the end of the same day, there was an abundance of rain. This past Monday, I faced extensive deadlines that required a quick influx of finances, and even with that, the meeting of deadlines appeared to be impossible. Later that morning, I opened up my email and found out that the funders of our project would not even be in San Francisco that week. Suddenly, at that moment, the bottom dropped out. The cloud disappeared from the horizon, and I was faced with what appeared for the moment to be an empty future.

There's a fascinating wonder that I have found in emptiness. It's that phenomenon of a clean sheet of paper and a newly sharpened pencil. When all the options are off the board, the re is only one inevitable choice left: the hand of God. I have heard many people say that you should never wait until the last moment to trust in God. That obviously wasn't said by someone who's had much experience trusting in God at the last moment. Situations collide in the chaotic natural world. For the divine domino effect to occur, whatever the case may be, the situation or circumstance must reach the point of critical mass. The point of critical mass is when a situation or series of events can make a dramatic change. God uses these points to show His glory in the earth. Sure, they are heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, and in general, uncomfortable, but they are necessary for His glory to shine through.

The first time this happened to me, on a major level, was when I had scheduled a crusade in Africa. Unknown to me, the outdoor event was to occur in the middle of the rainy monsoon season. The missionaries who were there when I planned the event with the stadium said it was their mistake and that we needed to reschedule the event. But, my group in San Francisco had already spent nearly $100,000 on plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel expenses. The Lord spoke to me and said, "I will stop the rain."

We arrived in Africa a week before the crusade and were greeted by sunshiny clear skies. Wow! Were we happy! God had answered our prayers. But three days before the crusade, the sky broke and the bott om of heaven dropped out. It rained so hard that the main street in Monrovia had two feet of water and there were canoes paddling down the walkways.

The opening day of the crusade finally came. Members of my staff came to me and said, "Richard, we took it upon ourselves to go downtown and find a basketball stadium that's roofed, where we can hold the crusade. Let's hold the service today in that stadium, and if God stops the rain, then we'll come back to the sports complex." I knew this group of my own people did this because they loved me dearly and didn't want me to lose face; but I also knew that if I didn't walk into that sports coliseum and face my God, I would never know for the rest of my life if He speaks to me or not. Remember, Paul said if any man draws back, God finds no pleasure in him. This was my moment. If I drew back, for the rest of my life, trusting God would be a fuzzy gray area. I would live forever in mediocre, cautious, conservative, bland, adventureless living. I replied to the group, "We're having the crusade tonight in the sports complex. I'll meet you on the stage at 5:30."

I was greeted onstage by one African pastor, and it was raining cats and dogs. Suddenly at 6:05, Doug Lanza, our worship leader came running through the stadium and said "Richard! Come look!" He showed me a hole in the sky where the sun was shining through. It parked itself over the stadium, and by 7:00, everything was nearly dry. Nearly 7,500 people flooded out of their houses and to the crusade by the phenomenon of God stopping the rain.

The bottom dropping out of everything is a prelude to God showing His glory. The key element is your decision to stand, when you've done all, just stand. You stand there, committed to what God told you to do. You don't move, and even more important, you don't mentally calculate your situation. One Saturday last year, I woke up in bed, and God spoke to me saying, "Richard, I'm going to show you where the source of unbelief comes from and how to stop it. Your mind has a default program-it's the way you inevitably think about everything. The default program in your brain is unbelief." Man, when God said that to me it blew my mind, because I knew it was the answer! Every time the bottom drops out of a situation and I try to reason it out in my mind, the result has always been unbelief. What God was saying was: don't think about it. Just trust that God has already figured it out.

Back to what's been going on this last week. The bottom drops out. I refuse to think about it. Then, I'm struck with a hemorrhoid, which hurts so bad, I have to leave the pulpit in the middle of a Sunday service. The pain is excruciating. Then, I am to pray for a gathering that is involving politicians in San Francisco, and when I get out of my seat, there's a pud dle of blood left on my white chair. My daughters quickly try to cover it up, but they're too late, and many of the women in the meeting immediately know what the problem is. They come up to me after the meeting, and their strength is so encouraging. Let me remind you that the bottom has just dropped out of everything, and I'm in a position where I can hardly walk. Later that day I go to church and for the first time in my life since I was two years old, I am wearing a diaper.

We're in the first night of a conference with Timothy Snodgrass and the speaker for the evening was Steven Brooks. At the end, he calls for people to come up for healing. I rush forward, and when he asked for what was wrong, to the chagrin of my congregation, the surprise of the visitors, and the shock of Steven himself, I blurt out "I'm in so much pain; I have a hemorrhoid so big, I'm wearing a diaper." Instantly I fell on the floor, and was totally healed. As soon as the presence of God lifted, I ran to the bathroom, and experienced no pain for the first time in 3 days. What an incredible miracle! This didn't fix the bottom dropping out situation, but it set the tone that God is with me, and this miracle was just the beginning of the great things He's about to do. By Friday of the same week, one hundred percent of the timeline pressure and deadlines were completely removed. I'm sitting once again in the peaceful, grassy land of compliance with the will of God, realizing that everything is in God's will, and right on time.

The hardest concept concerning the Lord that I have had to wrestle with is that He is not like me. He doesn't think like me. His ways are so clever and complete that I honestly cannot quite comprehend them. This fact has convinced me that having a quiet mind is the only way I can handle the bottom dropping out. And to achieve the quiet mind, I have got to let my ego die, not calculate, and do nothing but trust like a little child sucking on a lollipop.

Richard Gazowsky pastors a church in San Francisco called The Voice of Pentecost, and is also president of Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks. He has directed the films, "Guardians" and "The Roman Trilogy."

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Richard Gazowsky
Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks
1970 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127
office: 415/333-1970
fax: 415/333-7425

ฟีลิปปี บทที่ 2

1เพราะฉะนั้น ในเมื่อมีความชูใจในความสัมพันธ์กับพระคริสต์ มีการปลอบโยนจากความรัก มีการสามัคคีธรรมกันจากพระวิญญาณ และมีความเห็นใจกันและความเมตตากรุณา 2ก็ขอให้ท่านทั้งหลายทำให้ความยินดีของข้าพเจ้าเต็มเปี่ยม ด้วยการมีความคิดอย่างเดียวกัน มีความรักอย่างเดียวกัน มีจิตใจและความคิดเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกัน 3อย่าทำสิ่งใดด้วยการชิงดีหรือถือดี แต่จงถือว่าคนอื่นดีกว่าตัวด้วยใจถ่อม 4อย่าให้ต่างคนต่างเห็นแก่ประโยชน์ของตนเอง แต่จงเห็นแก่ประโยชน์ของคนอื่นๆด้วย 5จงมีจิตใจเช่นนี้ในพวกท่านเหมือนอย่างที่มีในพระเยซูคริสต์ 6ผู้ทรงสภาพเป็นพระเจ้า ไม่ทรงถือว่าความทัดเทียมกับพระเจ้าเป็นสิ่งที่จะต้องยึดไว้ 7แต่ทรงสละพระองค์เองและทรงรับสภาพทาส ทรงถือกำเนิดเป็นมนุษย์ และทรงปรากฏอยู่ในสภาพมนุษย์ 8พระองค์ทรงถ่อมพระองค์ลง ทรงยอมเชื่อฟังจนถึงความมรณา กระทั่งมรณาบนกางเขน 9เพราะฉะนั้นพระเจ้าจึงทรงยกพระองค์ขึ้นสูงสุด และประทานพระนามเหนือนามทั้งหมดแก่พระองค์ 10เพื่อที่ว่าเพราะพระนามของพระเยซูนั้น ทุกชีวิต_{(ภาษากรีกแปลตรงตัวว่า ทุกเข่า)} ในสวรรค์ บนแผ่นดินโลก และใต้พื้นแผ่นดินโลก จะคุกเข่าลงกราบพระองค์ 11และเพื่อที่ว่าทุกลิ้นจะยอมรับว่าพระเยซูคริสต์ทรงเป็นองค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า เป็นการถวายพระเกียรติแด่พระเจ้าพระบิดา

_{พระคำตอนนี้บอกเราให้เราเห็นกับประโยชน์ของคนอื่น และมีใจที่ถ่อมลงไม่ถือสภาพที่เราเป็นหรือความถูกต้องเป็นสิ่งที่เราต้องยึดถือ แต่กลับสละสภาพพระเจ้า ให้เราเป็นแบบพระเยซู  ในพระคำเอเฟซัส 4: 25- 32  ได้บอกเราว่าอย่าทำให้พระวิญญาณของพระเจ้าเสียพระทัย การที่เราดับพระวิญญาณคือเราปฏิเสธเสียงพระวิญญาณที่บอกเตือนเรา เราจะไม่สามารถเข้าไปถึงพระพรฝ่ายวิญญาณได้ถ้าเรามีใจที่ไม่สะอาด ในพระคำตอนนี้สอนเราว่าจงให้ใจขมขื่นและใจขัดเคืองอยู่ห่างจากเรา}

_{writer : P'Chong}

We should always be open and obedient to the leading of the Lord because the path that He wishes for us to follow is sure to lead us to the perfect will of God for our lives.  The Lord wishes for us to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers which simply means when we come into communion with Him receiving His wisdom, direction and understanding, our soul prospers and our life we will be moving in the right direction which will lead us to victory.  Never allow anyone to lead you away or discourage your heart from doing what God has lain on your heart to pursue.  Always remember that you and God are a majority and with Him by your side all will be well. (Isaiah 30:21) (3 John 2) (Psalm 1:1-3) (Psalm 17:5-9)

Hope this message encourages your heart to trust in God's leading knowing that He will never lead you astray, but He will be with you to lead you onto the best path as He sees fit.

THE STAR LIT SKY

The young woman lifted a tear stained face to the star lit sky. A deep wondering filled her soul. Why had the Most High God chosen her? Mary's heart was filled with a mixture of joy, bewilderment and unbelief at the thought of being the mother of the Messiah.

She was just a simple Jewish girl planning her wedding to the man she loved when an angel of the Lord came to her with his proclamation of favoritism. She, at first questioned the Angel as to how this was to be since she knew not a man. In true humility and obedience Mary bowed her head accepting in submission the task set before her. Mary's thoughts drifted to her beloved Joseph. Dear sweet Joseph with his ruddy complexion, twinkling brown eyes and quick smile. He would never believe this! How would he react to the news that the Holy Spirit had come upon her and she was with child?

Joseph was a kind and honorable man. Living his life proud and true according to Jewish custom, he had been so excited about his betrothal to Mary. That was until this afternoon when she had told him of her Angel visitation.

Joseph loved Mary deeply and came to the decision that he would quietly break their engagement so she would not be publicly disgraced. He sighed heavily and lay down to rest. It had been a tremulous day and his emotions were raw. Taking a last look at the star lit sky as if to search for answers he drifted off to sleep.

As Joseph slept, an Angel came to him in a dream assuring him of the call upon his life to fulfill his God given destiny to become the earthly father of the Messiah. Joseph awoke with the matter settled in his heart. He would be obedient to God.

The decree had been issued. All people must go to their native lands and register for the census. What bad timing thought Joseph, Mary was big with child. The trip would be hard on her. What if the babe decided to make His appearance? As the thoughts and concerns for his family swirled about his head, Joseph felt a peace envelope his soul. “Am I not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob declared the Lord?” “I will be with you, and will supply the things you need! Do not fear!” “Lord where are you?” prayed Joseph. He had been to all the inns in Bethlehem and was approaching the last one. The time had come for Mary to bring forth Life and there were no rooms available due to the census. He wearily trudged up to the last inn and inquired about lodgings. Explaining his dilemma once more to yet another innkeeper, the innkeeper shook his head sadly “I am sorry son”, he said as his eyes fell on Mary. Her face was lined with fear, fatigue and the pangs of childbirth. “Wait he called out to Joseph. I do have a stable in the back - you're welcome to bed there.”

Joseph gently guided his weary wife to the stable, and laid her down on a bed of hay. There under the star lit sky, in the company of the animals, without the attendance of family or friends, Mary and Joseph brought forth the Light of the world - Jesus Christ.

The Star lit night, two angel visitations - two obedient servants. How would you have responded to the call had it been you? As you go on with your days, will you look into the star lit night? Listen to the voice of the spirit? Will you be obedient? Will you choose to follow the Light? The Brightest Star - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

By Deborah Stearns

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Jeremiah 32:17-18 “Ah Lord GOD! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is His Name.”
Psalm 37:3-6 “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.  And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”

All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.

August 1, 2008

Going Mangos

By Sandy Gazowsky

I was sitting in a church service nearly five years ago when a Nigerian minister (whom I did not know very well) stood in front of our congregation and said, "Anyone here who has allergies come to the front and I am going to pray for you." I stood there at my seat and suddenly I felt a nudge from my husband saying, "Sandy, go up there!" In my mind I was thinking of people who had hay fever and things like that but forgetting all the while that I was highly allergic to mangos.

I had never eaten a mango until my brother offered me one at the age of 23 and I really enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I nibbled the pit clean. A day or two later I had broken out all over my chin and wondered what might have caused it, but I dismissed every suspicion with the thought "No, it couldn't be'"! My next encounter with a mango a year later was just as pleasant as I had remembered it being, but I had a much worse reaction than the first. My chin was so swollen I could hardly open my mouth because it hurt so badly. "Bingo!" I thought. "I am allergic to mangos."

Somewhere in my busy life, my husband wanted to try out a special diet. Dad and the kids in their enthusiasm went to the grocery store and brought home a lovely assortment of fresh fruit. I watched as my daughter, Rocki, prepared a lovely platter for her father. Wanting to help, I said, "I will clean up." I remember cleaning up all of the mango peels and a few hours later I was starting to feel those creeping feelings again coming over my face. Questioning, I fearfully thought, 'But I didn't eat any of the fruit, all I did was touch the peels." A day or two later, early in the morning I looked in the mirror and scared myself when I saw that one of my eyes was totally swollen shut and the other was almost totally swollen. My family then made an agreement that never again could a mango enter into our home. It was about seven weeks before every symptom had left my body.

Back to church... I felt my husband nudging my arm saying, "Sandy go up there; you're allergic to mangos," I thought "Oh yeah!" I need to go up there." Something happened to me when I was hearing the Word that was being preached. It was like a gift package. When I opened it up, inside was this beautiful item called faith. I felt this gift of faith go into my spirit. At that moment I knew something happened. The Nigerian minister said, "Someone get her a can of mango juice!" My husband, who was standing a few away from me, sweetly said, "Sandy, are you sure you want to do this? Are you okay with this?" We were also getting ready to go on a vacation! I responded back to Richard saying, "I received the faith!" Just then one of the kids had returned from the next door 7-11 store with a can of mango juice. I opened the can and drank it right there with everyone in the congregation just looking at me. It tasted sooo good! I smiled and praised the Lord.

The next morning I did not feel that familiar crawling feeling on my face nor did I see any swelling or blotches. I looked in the mirror and I looked normal. People started bringing me fresh mangos all that week at our regular services. I was eating mango salad, mango juice, mango everything! I was enjoying it immensely and praised the Lord for the wonderful miracle of His healing in my life.

Something unusual happened one year later. One afternoon I had eaten a mango and the next day, I woke up with those unusual feelings on my face. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and saw the old familiar blotches and swelling on my face. I just stayed staring at myself wondering what was going on. At that moment I thought to myself "God healed me and that was final." I knew that when God gives me something, He doesn't take it back. I realized that God had healed me and that the enemy was trying to get me to waiver and confess that I was not healed and thereby lose my miracle. So I looked at myself in the mirror (right in the face of the blotches and swelling) and with my mouth I said, "I am healed and all of these symptoms of allergies have to go now in Jesus' Name".

The second day I went to the mirror again and in the face of all of the red blotches and swelling again I had to take authority over this attack and refuse this coming back because I knew that I was healed and ate a lot of mangos to prove it! The third day I went to the mirror again and confessed the healing of the Lord over me. And that third day the blotches, swelling, and all of the other symptoms left. The redness was gone, the swelling was gone, the itching and the little bumps too were gone.

It has been five years now that I have been blessed with "going mangos"! God is so wonderful and so good!!!

Sandy Gazowsky is the wife of Richard Gazowsky and she is team leader of WYSIWYG's costume department. She has made costumes for the stage plays, "There's Never Been a Night Like This," "I Believe I Can Fly," and the WYSIWYG feature films, "Guardians," "The Roman Trilogy," and "Gravity."

You may leave us your comments at our website by clicking on the link below.
May God bless you.

www.wysiwyghome.com
Richard Gazowsky

Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks

1970 Ocean Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94127

office: 415/333-1970

fax: 415/333-7425

Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks | 1970 Ocean Avenue | San Francisco | CA | 94127