Senator Barack Obama is accepting the Democratic party’s nomination for president on Thursday. He bills himself as the candidate of change, the candidate of unity. Yet Senator Hillary Clinton’s supporters are up in arms about Obama’s choice for vice president: Joe Biden. They wanted Obama to choose Hillary for veep. Even top analysts suggested she might be the best choice of Obama wants to take up residence in the White House in January 2009. Keep Reading »

As WorldNetDaily reports, an American evangelist has jumped into the fray over the fate of a British teacher facing calls for death over a teddy bear named “Muhammad.” Bill Keller, host of LivePrayer, has posted a video on YouTube featuring a pink, toy pig named Muhammad after the Muslim prophet.

What’s your take? Is Bill Keller a noble, brave Christian or is he asking for a fatwa on his head? Is it a well-organized effort to generate publicity for his ministry? Or a no-holds-barred display of his passion? Would you do this?

I was reading a great post over at the Catch Fire blog from Australia. The site offers an excerpt from a prophetic word Kenneth Copeland released over the leadership of the nation.

Kenneth Copeland certainly is a credible prophetic voice, and his heart is after God. This excerpt (I have not seen the original) is a strong prophetic declaration to which I bear witness. These are the types of high level prophetic utterances we need to see in the Body of Christ today. These are the types of directional words that announce the true will of God.

This is so refreshing. So much of what I read on the Internet surrounding the prophetic is questionable, with prophecies that curse, judge, doom or otherwise rip apart fallen leaders. Kenneth Copeland’s prophecy, by contrast, builds up a godly leader and glorifies Christ. Prophecy should contain elements of edification, exhortation and comfort.

Of course, this prophetic word Brother Copeland released needs to be bathed in prayer. God is looking for intercessors who birth His purposes in the earth. He needs folks like you and I to get in agreement with what says the Spirit of God, and then to demonstrate our faith through Spirit-led prayer.

I’ve seen some prophecies out there on the Internet that declare the Lord is bringing judgment on the U.S. in the month of November 2007. Some are suggesting we begin stockpiling food and supplies.

I guess we’ll soon find out. There are just over two more weeks left in the month. All prophecy must be judged. What say you, prophets? What do you think? Is judgment eminent? Is God about to pour out His wrath on the United States of America? Or are the prophets prophesying this coming judgment prophesying out of fear, control, or some other spirit that is not of God?

We’ve been reading a lot in the news about the threat of the “nuclear nation” of Pakistan. The unrest there has made headlines on every major broadcast news station and daily paper in the U.S. and many other countries. Now, prophetic words are surfacing warning America of a nuclear attack.

I’d read such prophecies with a word of caution and here’s why: We are jars of clay, imperfect vessels. Our souls are interesting, too.

If we start too much at any one thing, we begin to see it everywhere. Have you ever noticed how when you read about a new kind of car, you start seeing that make and model everywhere? You see it on TV, you hear the radio ad announcing it, you see it on the road, maybe your friend decides it the car from him?

Some of the prophecies I’ve been reading are laced with soulish fear about nuclear bombs dropping. We have to judge all prophecy, and prophecies that rehash media stories about the danger of our times are no exception. I believe when the Lord gives a warning, He also gives encouragement,  or some sort of prayer strategy to thwart the attack. He tells you something good to go along with the bad.

So as we enter evermore perilous times, let’s be just as careful to judge prophetic words as we are to judge those media headlines…

As things change rapidly in the world and upheaval is occurring in various areas, many believers are wondering how to interpret the times. Some preachers and prophets are warning that we are in a time of judgment, while others are preaching prosperity and breakthrough. In some camps Christians are packing their bags and moving to “cities of refuge” or looking for the Lord to “rapture” them off planet earth. Yet other ministries are birthing new vision and embarking on ambitious building projects. Keep Reading »

“Shouldn’t the prophetic office serve as a watchdog of the Church and the State?” asks Gary Van. Prophets point out injustice and speak uncomfortable truth to those in authority regardless of their political party or church affiliation, he rightly says. Their function in society is not bound solely by the parameters of religion, he explains. Their authority to rebuke and bring correction historically extends into every social dimension where justice is lacking and mercy is needed.

Van writes: “Where is there a clear prophetic voice rising from the American societal landscape today? Where is the group or individual who dares to expose the injustice committed in our name by our government regardless of who is in power? Why do the preachers of the left and right only rebuke those leaders of the opposite party and never their own? Where is the prophet who is bold enough to confront the harlotry of the Church as she runs recklessly into the seductive arms of corrupt and conscienceless political suitors? Keep Reading »