Month: January 2016

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

The righteous considers the cause of the poor,
But the wicked does not understand such knowledge.

Scoffers set a city aflame,
But wise men turn away wrath.

If a ruler pays attention to lies,
All his servants become wicked.
Proverbs 29:2,7,8,12 NKJV

Dear friends of Come Rest,

First of all, wow! What a powerful time of praise & prayer & truth in His presence last night at our Awakening of Love 2.0! at Encounter Christian Church. So many brothers and sisters offering themselves in music, testimonies, & prayer! What fire at the beginning, peaceful awe in the middle, and humor and laughter near the end! Then Ed Zilka shared brief simple word that the Lord is calling each of us, and the Body of Christ, back to the basics! As Paul said, “ to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified!” Let’s keep it simple in 2016! Rest in Christ Crucified and wait patiently upon Him!

• As the Iowa Caucus approaches, please join us in setting aside one day per week to fast and pray between now and the Presidential election in 2016. We are praying for three things.
• For us all in the body of Christ to come up & walk His Highway of Holiness.
• For the love, fear, and presence of the Lord to sweep and awaken our nation.
• For our President to fear the Lord, stop promoting sin, & start protecting our unborn, our poor, our borders, our Constitution, & Israel.

• I have learned that where a candidate stands on issues is the second most important question. Even more important is to discern if they truly desire to walk with the Lord. The stakes are high. An American president who will walk with Jesus will not be deceived in the days ahead. I do not believe America is doomed to be controlled by the spirit of anti-Christ. I believe America is called to be a fertile river valley of the Holy Spirit. It’s not too late to escape judgment & defeat the enemy!
• The Lord wants righteous leaders over righteous nations. Sometimes He puts someone in office who does not walk with Him before elected, but begins to walk in office. Abraham Lincoln was an astute politician in worldly ways, who leaned toward God, had read the Bible earlier in life, and who stood on godly principles against slavery as the great moral issue of his day. He was a committed and affectionate husband and father before he was elected. But it does not appear He gave His life to Christ and was born again until after the death of his second child well into his wartime Presidency. After this we know he confessed deep faith in the Savior to a pastor and only after that do we see him calling for national repentance, fasting and prayer during the war and malice toward none and charity toward all near the end. Like Moses, Lincoln freed the slaves but did not enter the promised land with them. Like David, Lincoln waged many bloody battles to protect his nation, but did not get to build his nation into a household of praise. That work remains to this day.
• My grandchildren will face great spiritual battles in their future in which they will need to be much more yielded and discerning in the Holy Spirit than me and my generation have been. That’s why we need to come up higher into the Spirit now. I must not listen to pollsters. I must listen to the Lord in my heart as I read, hear, and observe the candidates. The spirit of anti-Christ is in the world fomenting lawlessness as prelude to the arrival of the anti-Christ. The Holy Spirit is in true born-again believers preparing the Bride for Jesus’ return. We must come up higher into Him this election than the usual consumption of speeches, media, and comparative brochures and websites. We, the elect, need to caucus in the Holy Ghost this election.
• As of now I am watching and praying. I’m not looking for a candidate who has the zeal and spiritual maturity of Billy Graham. There are none in this election. We don’t need that, we need a man or woman who does not oppose God’s word, but stands on God’s principles and, at least, sincerely desires to walk with Him—even if they presently don’t. I believe the Lord is saying that a few of these candidates are born again, and the majority are still not saved. Some are opposing His word; some are standing on His word; some are saved, yet walking in man’s ways; some are not saved; but want to walk in God’s ways; and some are saved and walking with Him.
• So I submit the following to you concerning the present roster of Republican and Democratic candidates. According to 1 Thess. 5, test this word before the Lord in your heart through scripture and wise counsel; hold fast to what is good.

I believe I hear the Lord saying,

They May Still Yet Walk With Me
To know My will concerning this campaign, take the planks out of your eyes.
Turn away from your own lust, greed, and pride.
Fear not, draw close, walk with Me.
Rest in Me and wait patiently upon Me. Ask Me for My heart for these candidates.
Do not look for perfection or perversity to comfort your fears or confirm your opinions. Look to Me.
Oppose the words of those who oppose My word; pray for their souls. They may still yet walk with Me.
Pray for those who claim Me, and yet I do not know them. They may still yet walk with Me.
Pray for those who speak My words. They may still yet walk with Me.
Remember You heard My talk before you believed Me! You talked with Me before You walked with Me.
All those who talk My talk will either turn to receive Me or twist to deceive you!
Watch for the few in whom I dwell. Pray for them. They all may yet walk with Me.
Those who fear Me rarely play upon your fears; seeing the giants in the land, but confident in Me and My ways.
My compassion for the oppressed and righteous anger toward oppression blaze forth in them.
They lift their hands and laugh at themselves with gratitude for grace and do not pointing the accusing finger.
Come up higher in Me. I alone search the heart.
None of these is anti-Christ. But they could cooperate with the spirit of anti-Christ if they do not walk with Me. My ways are not your ways. Make My ways your ways and ask Me for righteous leaders.
Do not invest your faith in any of these, invest your prayers. Lift your eyes watchmen!
Do not pray for your favorite candidate, pray as My favored ones…that they may all yet walk with Me.
Come up. Do not settle for anything less than Me and the life I have for you.
Learn from Me to stay with Me in the secret place in each present moment of each precious day I give you.”

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

• Try praying this daily prayer I was led to write this summer. Invite other believers to join us.

 A Prayer through Election Day 2016

“Lord Jesus, have mercy and help us.
Our nation does not reverently fear You and deserves its ungodly statesmen.
Your Church does not passionately love You and preserves her lukewarm state.
Our souls can be compromised with lies of the enemy, not solely comprised of the truth of Your Word.
Your shepherds sometimes tickle our ears with scripted half-truths, not constantly delighting Your heart with scriptural holiness.
We are distracted by sports and media, not discipled by our Champion and Mediator.
We settle for two political parties which both press for riches and oppress the poor; grasping for power while the unborn die before grasping for breath.
We battle for security in the false greatness of “Isms”, not resting secure in the Great I AM.

Social-ism, capital-ism, environmental-ism, libertarian-ism all put the creature, not Creator, at the center.
No ideology, idolatry, or invention is the answer.
You are.
I repent.

I turn away from all worldly sin for the sake of all the world’s people.
I now turn afresh to Your face and surrender control to You.
Help me live faithful and fruitful in, but not of, this world…this day.
Lead me into Your secret place, up on to Your Highway of Holiness and keep me there…this day.
Help me rest upon You & bear Your real fruit in family,work,school,church, politics, city, state,& nation.

Jesus come down, return, & reign!
Holy Spirit help us come up, return, & witness to Jesus while we wait.

Mercifully bring us forth as Your royal priesthood of believers—Your faithful, fruitful Bride!
Strengthen us to fast and pray for our shepherds to be the ones we need.
Visit our present rulers and strengthen us to fast and pray for them.

We boldly come before Your throne of grace and ask not for the President we deserve…
…But for the President You desire—a President who desires nothing but Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness.  Amen.”

• Please pray for Dick as he continues to write toward the completion of the new book which will be entitled “Come Up!” Thank you for your prayers, financial support, and participation in Come Rest! Keep sending us your prayer requests. We love praying for you!

Love and blessings
Dick and Kim