"Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your
cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and
cities..." (Isa 58:12 NLT)
Our second trip into the Gulf Coast region and more
specifically New Orleans can only be described as a slow descent down a ladder
into gross darkness. As we entered the Mississippi region and crossed through
Biloxi and Gulf Port and began our journey into Louisiana it was surreal and
extremely difficult to grasp the magnitude of the disaster we were facing. It
was only after we left the region and began our travels home for more supplies
did it begin to hit me. When we crossed the Causeway bridge over Lake
Pontchartrain and entered Jefferson Parrish and the city of New Orleans we
took a quantum leap from normality and predictability into tragedy and
catastrophe in a blink of an eye. It was like a bomb had went off and we were
climbing out of our insulated "bomb shelters" called our personal lives and
seeing what the real world now looked like. Everything was marked by the
hurricane from the road signs to the light pole - nothing was spared or
unscathed by its wrath. Steel bill board signs with a 10 ft. girth were
snapped like twigs. Businesses and entire cities were folded up like an old
newspaper and thrown away. In many places nothing is left. Nothing.
The closer you approached the downtown area of New
Orleans the tangible reality of darkness and death permeated the air -
literally. The smell alone was shocking as we drove down the streets lined
with empty houses and boarded windows. Patrols of military troops dotted every
corner and an army of vehicles attempting to restore some semblance of
humanity raced down the streets. Displaced people stared at us like robots
waiting for a meal, a bottle of water or any glimmer of hope. We visited two
major hubs of distribution; Victory Fellowship and Riverside Baptist Church
and the mountain of donations was impressive. Little do most know though how
quickly this mountain will dwindle as thousands try to re-enter a city that at
this point is uninhabitable both naturally and spiritually. It is said that
the public conscious lasts about 3 weeks and the danger is, that far before
the rebuilding of New Orleans supernaturally and naturally occurs, the
momentum currently being sustained by donations from all over the world will
lose it's steam thus creating a vacuum that the very much present evil is
intent on filling. Look at it like this relating to the massive aid and clean
up of New Orleans and you will foresee the danger that's now facing us, "When
an unclean spirit goes out of a man (or a city?), he goes through dry places,
seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from
which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than
the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation..." (Matt.
12:43-45). The enemy desires to raise from the ashes of this devastation
something even more corrupt and wicked than it was previously. If all that the
enemy finds once the dust settles and the public awareness shifts is a city,
"empty, swept, and put in order..." we have utterly failed in our attempt to
help as sincere as our efforts may be.
Step back with me for a minute and ponder this: New
Orleans's crime rate is ten times the national average, affluent corporations
and businesses have fled New Orleans years ago because of the internal
corruption and controversy always orbiting around the city. Just weeks before
Katrina, federal officials indicted associates of the former mayor, for
alleged kickbacks and contract fraud and the state ranks third in the number
of elected officials convicted of crimes. Recent scandals include the
conviction of 14 state judges and an FBI raid on the business and personal
files of a Louisiana congressman. The Daily News goes on to note that in the
1990s the New Orleans Police Department "had the dubious distinction of being
the nation's most corrupt police force and the least effective: the city had
the highest murder rate in America. More than 50 officers were eventually
convicted of crimes including murder, rape and robbery; two are currently on
Death Row." Yearly New Orleans celebrates one of the most pagan demoralizing
events in the world; Mardi Gras. By mid-August of this year, 192 murders had
been committed in New Orleans, 'nearly 10 times the national average'. The New
Orleans "southern decadence" festival which was to take place Labor Day
weekend is described as a extreme gay celebration rivaling Mardi Gras and was
only interrupted by Hurricane Katrina...
No doubt this is a major cleansing and purging by the
Lord but the paradox is this: It also sets the stage for the most extreme move
of God in America's history as well if we can fill the void with much, much
more than cases of water and canned food. We need to move now into this vacuum
and fill the air with worship and intercession 24 hrs. a day - seven days a
week. But will we? We are so conditioned as a church entity to simply write a
check and wash our hands leaving the dirty work to someone else that we run
the great peril that New Orleans will not be revived then what is all of our
efforts then? We have watched the ship of revival pass us time and time again
namely Sept. 11th and the attacks on New York City. This created a public
awareness of God that is unrivaled in American history and yet after a few
months to a year it faded from our memory to become an epitaph on a stone
memorial. The church failed to fill the spiritual vacuum created by it thus
the enemy discovered that America was, "empty, swept, and put in order..." but
not revived thus creating a compounded problem that we are facing now in the
Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Remember this, New York is not immune to another
attack the enemy is plotting and planning something much more evil and
devastating right now for New York and only our sustained and perpetual
prayers will stop it. This applies to New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast
territory as well, hurricanes will stack up like a deck of cards on one of
Biloxi's river boats until the church learns to leap from the steps of
complacency and stand in the gap with "prayers without ceasing" and sinners
repent of their sin and turn to the living God. But contemplate this, "How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Rom 10:14-15). We
must act now or forever bear this countries darkest days that await her if the
Church does not move now...
We have a plan. After two trips into this devastated area
we are convinced that we could accommodate teams that could arrive from around
the nation to pray, fast, worship and seek the Lord for true restoration and
revival. Envision this... a small to medium tent with tables and chairs with
teams from all points and providences praying and seeking the Lord for New
Orleans with 24 hr. recorded and live worship. Envision this... a flat-bed
truck trailer hosting worship bands publicly and openly worshiping the Lord
for all to hear powered by gas generators filling the ravaged air with praise.
Envision this... Teams stationed and ready to invade the streets with the love
of God from this "worship and intercession base camp" bringing thousands of
souls to Jesus. Envision this... healing and prophetic teams ready and
prepared to administer the healing power of God to broken bodies and hearts
and compelling them to move on with God's destiny for their lives. Envision
this... having motor homes and other means of accommodating the teams in New
Orleans and possibly a church or other sort of building to sustain this 24
hrs. a day 7 days a week worship and prayer in the very thick of the gross
darkness and hopelessness. I tell you this it can happen if we can raise the
standard and grasp the possibilities presented to us by the Lord and reach
higher than we ever have as individuals and a church. Consuming Fire and many
of our friends and even people we have never met are poised and in position to
accomplish such a feat, are you ready to try?
We already have use of a 34' class A motor home, a 5 ton
trailer for the commercial generator and gas supply (we currently need this
size of generator if anyone can donate or let us use), and an enclosed 10X 5
trailer to transport supplies into and around New Orleans (we need something
bigger or more of the same). Enterprise Rent-a Car has been incredibly
gracious to give us almost 50% off the trucks we've used to travel with
supplies from Southwest Georgia into these areas of destruction but we will be
hard pressed to continue to pay over $250 dollars a week to travel and stay in
New Orleans, we need to concentrate our prayers and efforts and secure a
4-door newer to new pick-up and/or larger SUV. It is critical we take hold of
this in the spirit and allow it to manifest in the natural now. Any and all
creative ideas small or large will not go unnoticed or considered. Please
respond. I am convinced somebody reading this has the means even as Joseph had
to fill the storehouses in Egypt to make this happen. We stand waiting and
ready for this answer to prayer for the appropriate vehicle(s) to convoy to
New Orleans and possess the land. We are giving our life to see America
revived, this is not a mere charity drive it is a precipice of impossible
possibilities that looms before us like a Titanic, will we sink or rise
Church? Will we respond or fall back under the peer pressure of religion and
continue the gamble of Sunday morning church and the revolving doors of
conferences as epic disasters line up on our hallowed shores? What will we do
in this hour? New Orleans is latchkey for America, how we respond to her is
how we will respond to our own cities and streets. Will she remain empty and
void of God's power in us or will a vanguard of Christians leap to this
opportunity and "repair the breach..." We are here ready and willing to help
you do just that, only we need you to be able to do it.
1) We need a vehicle's equipped for such a mission not
only a truck to haul and carry supplies but others to take teams and prayer
warriors into these areas of compromise and pray and minister. We would even
be willing to bus teams in if the means were made available. We currently have
a commercial semi-truck from Oregon ready to pick up larger supplies as well
for this mission. Agree with us for the "Josephs" that are currently in
position to answer this request now. AMEN.
2) We need an indoor tent that could accommodate
approximately 50-100 people for continued around the clock prayer and worship.
The main body of activity will be in the open air the tent would simply be
used to pray, worship, and help individuals on a one-on-one level. Chairs and
tables would also be necessary but not many. We all hold a piece of this
puzzle please find your part and lay it on the table.
3) A flat bed semi trailer that live bands and ministers
could use to call New Orleans into God's presence. We could literally host
ministries and strategic prophetic voices from around the country to usher in
America's greatest hour. A simple piece of equipment such as this could make
this happen.
4) We will also need specialized team leaders that are
skilled in these areas i.e., worship leaders, healing teams (possibly
trained in the Healing Rooms from Spokane, WA. etc.) prophetic and
evangelistic team leaders that can simply stand in the gap and receive a city to Jesus. We
believe we will be able to accommodate you in New Orleans and sustain a
continuum of worship, prayer and outreach pushing back the pending darkness
and destruction that still pervades.
