War Games and War Cries Part 2

“Yeshua entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
He wanted to see who Yeshua was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Yeshua was coming that way.
When Yeshua reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor,
and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,
I will pay back four times the amount.”
Yeshua said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 29:1-10)

Behind humanity’s war games and war cries the enemy of our soul lies in waiting, using every tactic possible to keep us from our (individual) purpose for being conceived. The ways of El Shaddai are simultaneously a mystery and a miracle, and, if we should ever doubt, all we need to do is look closely around us. Behind the chatter of the “world”, Adonai is moving time, circumstances, and people – at rapid speed!

In part 1 of this series, I mentioned a dream I’d been given by Adonai. In this dream, I was discussing Christ with a man from my past who was raised Muslim in Turkey. This is something that happened in my life, witnessing to this man after I came into a relationship with Adonai. In this dream, something occurred that did not while I was witnessing and that was his giving his life to Yeshua. I have no clue if this came to fruition but I do know the seed was planted by more than just me. When I sought the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) for interpretation of the dream, I sensed it was two-fold: that we would see more and more people raised Muslim coming to Christ (Note: Understand, because of their mindset toward Jewish people and because they are mostly ministered to through Christians, He rarely comes to them as “Yeshua.”) The other part I received was that people I have been praying for would be coming into faith in Christ.

Adonai will use everything!

During the pandemic lockdown, people were coming out of the woodwork with opines and conclusions about the events of the time; one of the most unlikely people to do so was Russell Brand, a British comedian turned actor who had all but disappeared from the celebrity spotlight. Today, Brand openly speaks of the darkness he lived under especially during his time of fame. He wasn’t known for being intellectual but here he came, like a new person, talking about what was not to be spoken out loud, with abandon. I found it a bit intriguing and loosely followed his videos. What I saw was a man who had turned his life around and had a very big heart, a heart to do what he deems “right” to help humanity thrive. At the same time, recognizing he was clinging to every spiritual thing the wind blew his way. So, I did what I do, and began to pray for him to find the One True God. (And, I was certainly not the only person interceding for him to find THE way.)

Friends, if you are praying with a pure heart for someone, be watchful for the fruit – even if it takes years! I eventually moved away from watching what Brand produced because he seemed to be grasping at straws, and I try not to expose my mind to certain things, but I did not stop praying for him. Recently, his videos began appearing in my YouTube cue again out of nowhere even though I’d unfollowed the channel. Late last week, I was dumbfounded to see a video titled something like, Jordan Peterson led Russel Brand to Christ. What?! 🙂  I did not click on the bait. Then a few days later Brand himself issued a video titled “I got baptized! THIS is why…” I saved it to the watch later cue as I didn’t have time to watch it and felt the need to pray beforehand.

Pray without ceasing

This morning, as I went about my Shabbat worship I was very overcome by the presence of Adonai. I had been praying for days about how He wanted to use my time. As I sang out to His holy name, I sensed it was time to watch the video, and did so. A few minutes into it I was brought to tears of joy for what I heard Brand state. (I’ve posted the video below so you can hear for yourselves.) He has indeed decided to go the way of Adonai. He gave a beautiful explanation of how and why he has come into Faith. (At the moment he is going toward Roman Catholicism but please pray that he finds mentors who help him seek and find deeper and deeper meaning. I can however understand why he is attracted to it due to his background and sphere of influence at present.)

Brand was, I believe, holding back a flood of emotion during this video and that is why he comes across as a bit somber. But, what I also see is that he was able to put down the persona (character) he has built over top of who YHWH created him to be. My prayers going forward will include that Brand allows the Father to now mold him into the person He purposed him to be in upon conception, as Psalm 139 details. That he will let Adonai use everything about his life to minister to others, as Brand grows in faith, spirit, and truth. While in worship this morning, I was singing along with Marty Goetz’s music; one of the songs “Oh Lord, Our Lord”  struck me in a way it hadn’t previously. I heard the voice of my Lord say, ‘this is how I found Russell Brand’.

Read for yourself:

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I know without a shadow of a doubt The Father moves his saints to pray for people they do not even know, for nations, for moments such as this! Please, please, never underestimate how majestic is HIS name in all of the earth. Several verses in scripture remind us that Adonai alone is on the throne – so, be expectant of the harvest to come!

Philippians 2:10–11  “…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (ESV)