The call of the businessman

In the ancient middle-east, commerce took place at the city gates. If you had any business to conduct that is where you would go. Represented there at the gates, alongside of the leading merchants, were the spiritual voices of that town along with the judiciary. These three groups comprised the elders of the city. We see here a foundation of prophetic, wisdom, and finance. These three must come together once again in our culture.

There is a call going forth to the millennial generation. God is calling many of them to the realm of business. God wants to create a funding structure for the Church. There is a flexibility that is created when churches have businessmen (and women) that they can turn to for special projects. Many great movements (The Call comes to mind) and ministries have been birthed because God laid it on the heart of a few wealthy businesspeople to donate significant sums of money.

But these businesspeople will not just be conduits of wealth. They will impact society as they create it. They will correct much of the injustice that permeates much of large corporate America. They will ensure that proper labor practices are followed overseas. They will create businesses and run departments that glorify God. Whatever their heart finds to do will be done as an act of worship to God. This is where wisdom and justice has to meet business and economics.

In addition, these businesspeople will be a great asset to the Church. They will improve the stewardship of resources within the Church. But they won't do things as the world does. For the kingdom way often confounds the wise. This is where the prophetic comes in. At times they will give away entire fortunes. At times they will walk away from successful business ventures. But all of this will be under the leading of the Holy Spirit. The same God that gave Abraham, Jacob, and Job enormous wealth building abilities will release it over this generation.

God gave Solomon great wisdom. Solomon used this wisdom to create wealth. Kings and queens came from throughout the earth to view the wealth of Solomon. May this happen once again. May the wealth of the world come into the Kingdom. And may the world come to the Church and see the glory of God. There are those businesspeople being raised up right now who will shine that light of God's glory as beacons in this world.

The New Nazarites

A number of years ago there was a movement of the Spirit in which many young people took the vow of a nazarite. A nazarite is one who has decided to set himself (or herself) apart for God. You can read the details of an Old Testament nazarite in Numbers chapter six. I was one of those young men. For 18 months I didn't cut my hair, drink alcohol, or consume anything from the grape. During this period of time I devoted myself to the call of revival at Cal State Fullerton. It was an amazing time of zeal, passion, and fire for the Kingdom of Heaven. Through various circumstances I felt led to end that vow and to take a step back from that particular assignment.

Recently I have been feeling the stirrings of the nazarite once again. This time it is going to look different but the idea of consecration is the same. I have decided to go to Sacramento on Labor Day weekend to renew my vows of consecration. Thousands of others will be doing the same in the place of the sacrament that weekend. But this time it will be different. It will not be accompanied (for myself that is) with an outer sign as before. It will merely be a lifestyle of consecration.

The nazarites of old were voices crying out in the wilderness. They exemplified the spirits of Samson and Elijah- they called a generation back to God. They lived their lives in radical obedience. There is a new company of nazarites arising in this hour. They will live their lives with the same kind of radical obedience as the long-haired ones. They will have the same passion and zeal for purity as those who paved the way. But they will be voices within the culture. They will live in the world but not of it. They will be as Daniel of old. Daniel adopted the language, dress, and culture of the Chaldeans. But he was still that voice of consecration.

These are the new Nazarites! They will take their stand for purity wherever they are. They will arise from the ranks of business, entertainment, fashion, politics, government, and education. They will devote their lives to seeing the Kingdom of Heaven be made manifest. They will take their stand against injustice and give their lives in intercession. I have chosen to respond to this call. I have decided to place my life on the altar of surrender. It was a choice I made some time ago but it is a vow that I am renewing at this time. What is the Lord calling you to do?

The Spirit of Samson

God is raising up the Samsons in this day. These are those who will take the fight to the enemy. Samson wasn't content with waiting for the Philistines to attack. Rather he went to their strongholds and defeated them. In the same way we are called to go into the places of the enemy. To tear down the gates of their strongholds and expose their nakedness.

Will you allow yourself to be used in a style of warfare that most Christians will be uncomfortable with? Your methods will not be conventional. The religious ones will condemn you. Even you will not understand much of it. God will have you do things that are impossible to understand. He will have you do things that may even appear wrong. This is the spirit of Samson.

But in all of this do not forget your weaknesses. Do not allow yourself to compromise. Be ruled completely by the Spirit of God. Do not allow your destiny to be sidetracked. But do not be discouraged- for you will live out that destiny. It belongs to you and no one will even take that from you.

Don't focus on what the enemy is doing. Don't be distracted by the schemes of the devil. But be focused on what God is doing. Keep your gaze upon Him. Move when His Spirit falls upon you in power. When He stirs within you go and grab ahold of the gates. Expose the enemy for who he is. Bring confusion into the camps of the enemy. Destroy the structures of darkness.

The Dominion Mandate

At the beginning of time God spoke to Adam and told him to take dominion of the entire earth. Adam, and his descendants, were to tame and subdue the wilds of nature. They were to be fruitful and fill this earth with those who carried the image of God. Thousands of years later Christ instructed His disciples with a similar mandate- to go forth to the ends of the earth making disciples of all nations. In this new mandate we are to go forth and spread the light of the Kingdom wherever we go. These two mandates go hand in hand. As we go forth we are to be fruitful and multiply, both literally and spiritually. It is not enough to make converts but we are to raise up disciples capable of raising others up as well. Our mandate will not be complete until the whole world hears and there are worshippers from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

We must make a Kingdom impact on all spheres of society. It isn't enough to simply touch every nation. We must touch every part of that nation. Government, business, entertainment, education, the arts, and sports must all be brought underneath the Lordship of Christ. It isn't enough to simply make converts- we must transform those spheres so that they reflect the glory of God.

God is raising up those who will go to those spheres of influence. Those people will see these spheres as their mission field. They will give their lives to reaching those spheres. They will intercede daily for those places. They will love the people in those spheres. They will demonstrate excellence as they labor. They will win favor as Daniel, Joseph, and Nehemiah did. The world will not see them as missionaries. Most of the Church will not either. They will see them as businesspeople, artists, actors, teachers, politicians, and athletes. But their mandate will be as glory carriers. They will transform those spheres and bring them under the dominion of the Kingdom.

Bringing these spheres of society underneath the dominion of Christ is something more than mere conversions. But rather it is going in and being people of excellence and being the movers and shakers of those realms. It wasn't enough for Daniel to be an intercessor and a minister to those around him. But Daniel rose in favor among those in power and became one of the most trusted advisors to several kings. Daniel made his mark on society. In the same way we must pursue excellence in every field that God calls us to.

Are you a teacher? Then be one of the best- pour yourself into your students. Accountants, be one of the shrewdest yet honest accountants around. Coaches! Create winning teams. Politicians, rise up as shining stars of light. Actors, pursue excellence in your work. People have listened to men of faith such as Ronald Reagan and John Wooden because of what they accomplished- not because of their faith. Your character and relationship with God will get you to that place. Be the one who is honored in the city gates.

The Prophetic Uprising

A couple of years ago I had a vision of a mountain range. In this vision I saw prophets being placed upon the peaks of this range. When they had taken their place they could see the prophets on nearby mountains. I knew that the Lord was speaking that the time in the caves had ended and that the prophets were going to become visible once again. The prophets were not going to feel isolated any longer. There was a release of power and authority as well at this time.

Recently, the Lord has been speaking of another uprising that is taking place. This is an uprising in the valleys where the people live. The prophets have declared that this is a new season and this declaration has been heard by the bones that are dry. God is renewing the prophetic within His church. We will see the prophetic arise in power once again. The prophetic will become abundant once again as we see prophecy become commonplace. No longer will it be unusual to hear the voice of God. With this move there will be another release of power and authority. As the prophetic becomes commonplace God will be promoting many of His faithful prophets who have endured faithfully during the past season. There will be a shifting in their ministries as God moves them into a greater prophetic role.

God has called His people to be a prophetic people. He desires all of us to prophesy. He desires all of us to chase after His heart and to speak what He is saying. No longer will this communion be left to those who hold the office of prophet. Will you hear this call? Will you respond? Will you choose to live the priestly prophetic life? God is calling His people to live according to His heart. Will we be willing to live in perfect communion with Christ's heart? This is our commission as priests to the God Most High.

The Strong Angels

There is a type of angel that I call "the strong angels." Others would probably simply call them warrior angels. These are angels who have been trained in the art of war. They are like the Marines. First ones to go into a conflict and they don't leave until everything is completed. I first saw these angels over the campus of Cal State Fullerton. I was given the privilege of seeing them move across the campus as God's angelic army moved into position to take that campus. They came against every demonic stronghold. Over the next year I saw every territorial stronghold and demon come down.

About six months ago I was in the prayer room. I was caught up to heaven and during my time there I was taken into a training room. In this room was a number of strong angels in training. These were ones that had not seen earthly combat before but were being prepared to be sent there. I knew that God was preparing something new on this earth if He needed to send more of His warriors to accomplish it.

A few weeks ago during one of our conferences my eyes were opened and I saw a great angelic host in the place. All around the walls were hundreds of these strong angels. Some of them were battle hardened and had seen centuries & millenniums worth of combat on this earth like the ones I had seen at Cal State Fullerton. Other angels were fresh recruits with their training complete. They had come into our meeting to observe our intercession and participate in our worship. They joined with us as we worshipped. After some time they then left and went to certain assignments throughout the region.

I write these things not to brag of what I saw. But I write these things so that we will know what God is doing in this hour. We are on the verge of something great. The prophets have been speaking of these days for years. Whether you call it revival, revolution, an outpouring, or an awakening it is something huge. We are getting ready for one of the greatest moves of God in history. We are preparing for a move of God that will usher in Christ's second coming. The angelic hosts know this and are being marshaled for this even as we speak. The enemy has an idea of what is coming and he has been attempting to torment God's people with increasing vengeance. I believe that is why we have abortion- it is simply the enemy trying to kill the prophets and apostles before they can see the light of day. But that is a post for another time.

We must partner with what God is doing. We must ask Him where He is positioning us. Positioning is so important in this season. When we are positioned in God's greater plan we come into partnership with all of the other players. It is then that we come into alignment with His angelic hosts. We can then interact with them and operate alongside of them. They will remove obstacles for us so we do not have to fight but can simply move into a territory and take it for the Kingdom. We can command them to war against spirits so we do not have to fight them. God is bringing us to a higher level of warfare. These revelations are part of that.

Doug Addison: Four Prophetic Words Being Fulfilled Right Now!

Doug Addison: Four Prophetic Words Being Fulfilled Right Now!

I want to give an update on four prophetic words that I released over the past few months, as we are seeing them begin to unfold. Last year I prophesied that God had brought us all into a wilderness time beginning in 2006. I also saw that in the spring of 2010 something new was going to be released that would begin to catapult people into a new season. I saw a great realignment of people within the Kingdom of God and an attack coming in the area of identity theft. Here are the original words and my thoughts regarding them:

The Wilderness Started in 2006

Several years ago God spoke to me and others about something new from Heaven that was going to be released on the earth in 2005. I was telling people everywhere I went and was helping to prepare for a revival that we knew was and is still to come. Then 2005 came and went with nothing new. In fact, everything began to look the opposite. I did not understand it at the time, but Bob Jones, a prophetic friend of mine, told me that I had not been mistaken with what I had prophesied. He said it just came in a different form than we all expected.

In September 2009 I had a prophetic dream in which I heard the audible voice of God tell me that He really did want to bring something new in 2005, but the majority of Christians were not ready for it. Because of that, God brought us into a time of wilderness which was designed to reveal our motives, heal and prepare us for His greater intentions.

The first month of the wilderness began in January 2006. In my life and ministry I can look at the calendar and see that things began to look completely opposite than what I had expected or heard from God. We had tried to start an outreach center in Hollywood, but suddenly it was like hitting a brick wall. As a result, we moved and lived for three years in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. I got a lot of similar feedback from people everywhere who had experienced the same thing in 2006. (Click here to read the article I wrote last year on it on the ElijahList.)

The Wilderness is Over on the First Day of Spring

I was speaking at a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January 2006 with Heidi Baker and Mel Tari when this wilderness time officially began. Just this month, on the first day of spring (March 20, 2010), I was in Albuquerque again speaking at the same church with Mel Tari. God reminded me that it was 50 months ago (January 2006) that the wilderness had begun, and He told me that on the first day of spring of 2010 the wilderness time has officially ended!

Spring Forward

As part of the prophetic insight God gave me for 2010, God showed me that when we set the clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, we will all begin to "Spring Forward" spiritually. Then, when we set the clocks back, things will begin to "Fall into Place." This is beginning to happen right now. I am experiencing it personally, as I am seeing prophetic words and promises God gave me years ago begin to be fulfilled. Many people are reporting feeling new energy, vibrancy, and spiritual hope. We are starting to see breakthrough in the areas of ministry, business, finances, and relationships, and many will begin to see changes almost immediately. This is the season to start something new! Start a new diet, exercise, a business, ministry, or write a new book. This is a time of new beginnings as strategies from Heaven are coming to earth.

Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV) Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

As God releases new things from Heaven, we will experience a great shift of positions. We are seeing this happen as well. I heard three words: Resign, Realign and Reassign. People are being divinely realigned by God right now to increase our Kingdom effectiveness. It has happened in my own ministry and with many people everywhere. I saw a chessboard, and God is strategically positioning us for this next season. (Click here to read the article on the ElijahList).

Spiritual Identity Theft

In January 2010 I released a prophetic word about spiritual identify theft, a plan of the enemy to get people to miss their destiny by attacking their identity in Christ. Just last week I had a spiritual experience in the middle of the night in which I battled a dark spirit that had come to literally steal the identity of people. At first I thought it was retaliation against me for releasing the prophetic word. But as I began to share it, I am getting feedback that people everywhere are getting attacked right now in the area of theft. People are getting things stolen, websites and email hacked, and being ripped off of what rightfully belongs to them. (Click here to read the article on the ElijahList here).

When satan attacks us in a particular area, it is an indicator that this is an area of our life where God is bringing blessing or wants to use for His Kingdom. Since God is releasing new things from Heaven, the enemy will try to distract us and get us to believe that nothing is changing. This is a lie and we need to get "eyes to see" what God is doing in this time of our lives.

Prophetic Word: Year of Destiny

I am prophesying that the wilderness is over, we are springing into new life and finding our identities in Christ like never before. This is a year of destiny and we will begin to fulfill things that have been promised to us. It is a year that we need to develop ourselves personally in the unique way that God has called us. It is time to take action and not be passive. New doors of opportunity are opening and we have new strength and resources to walk through them. The future is now.

Matthew 7:7–8 (NLT) Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Doug Addison
InLight Connection
Email: respond@dougaddison.com