Recently, I had an encounter with the Lord and I heard the Lord speaking over the people of God in the United States of America, “Lay down your knives, PICK UP your swords”.
The sense that surrounded me in this encounter was the urgent hour that the nation is finding itself in right now and the URGENCY of the hour.
When I heard the Lord say those words “Lay down your knives, pick up your swords, the sense surrounded me that many were distracted and not recognising the URGENCY of the hour. I could feel the Lord’s heart so strongly for His people to come into the place of repentance, intercession and decree over the United States of America, because the destiny of the United States hangs in the balance.
“If My people who are called by My name 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 – ESV)
BEWARE OF THE KNIVES OF POISONOUS WORDS, OFFENSES, BITTERNESS AND HATRED
As I continued to seek the Lord’s heart I heard the words “The wrong battle is being fought by many”. The sense was so strong that many were in a place of distraction wielding these “knives” of poisonous words, opinions, offenses, bitterness and hatred towards others in the body of Christ, government leaders and the nation itself.
The Lord showed me a remnant pressing in, many who have been crying out. I saw many on their faces before the Lord in tears, weeping in repentance and intercession over the nation. I saw many that had come into deep encounter with the heart of God and His strategy for the hour and were decreeing it and crying out. I could feel the rumblings of an army arising in the nation in a strength, resolve and faithfulness like has not been seen before and I felt the heart of the Lord calling forth for a greater unity in alignment.
Although there is this growing remnant in the Body who are already rightly positioned before the Lord in this battle, my heart felt heavy because I could feel the urgency of the hour and the sense of many remaining in the place of holding these knives and the Spirit of God was beckoning them into a place of repentance.
This is the time to truly come before the Lord and cry out in repentance, to embrace Psalm 139:23-24:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” (ESV)
Although there is a remnant who have embraced humility already, the Lord showed me that there is an exaltation of pride and opinion in many hearts of the people of God in the United States of America and the Lord is calling for repentance and the laying down of ‘opinion’ and ‘pride’, and to stand arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder with swords in hand, eyes on Jesus and crying out for the United States of America to see the plans of the enemy halted and disarmed.
I saw the Holy Spirit moving throughout the body of Christ in the United States and He was bringing conviction and whispering His truth, the truth of His Word, calling His people out of His love into the place of repentance and brotherly love for one another “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour” (ESV), the Spirit of God wanting to bring a healing and deliverance to many hearts as they positioned themselves in repentance before the Lord.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
I then heard:
“Many do not want to hear, they do not want to hear, but I continue to call out, I continue to beckon, I continue to draw My people, but you must hear what My Spirit is saying My people, this is an urgent hour and time is running out for My people to come into alignment with what I am doing and position themselves to see the plans of the enemy overturned. I will hold to account My people that recognise the conviction of My Spirit in this hour to lay down the knives and repent and pick up their swords, and do not listen and obey My Word.”
He continued to speak:
“I love the United States of America and I am calling My people desperately into alignment and repentance to not only see the plans of the enemy overturned and the repercussions of sin dealt with, but to prepare the land for a great move of My Spirit and the enemy’s agenda overturned, through repentance. My heart is crying out for My people to take the land in victory and for My Glory to be seen in a way that has never been seen before. My Glory is coming, and I am coming in power, but I am shaking My people to bring forth an awakening of the urgency of the hour and the plans of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy in a way that the United States of America has not seen before. This is the hour to partner with Me in all that I am doing, in the position of humility and repentance before Me, embracing the Refiners fire and crying out for the nation.”
DO NOT SPEAK POISION OVER MY NATION
In this encounter I also saw the knives not only in the hands of many believers but also coming out of their mouths. I watched as believers were speaking words over the United States of America, over President Trump and others in government and the sense surrounded me so strongly that these were curse words. I heard the Lord speak “Do NOT release poison over MY nation”
I could feel the fear of the Lord so strongly. I knew the Lord was paying attention to every word spoken.
“Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21)
“Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water” (James 3:11)
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)
“I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36)
DO NOT BE ROOTED IN OPINION OR THE PRIDE OF OPINION
There is such an urgency in this hour to speak the words that the Lord is speaking over the United States of America. To KNOW His heart, to HEAR what the Spirit of God is saying, to wield the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6) over the nation through decree and to invite the Holy Spirit to convict if there are any words spoken that are not in line with the Word of the Lord, the heart of God and what is flowing from HIS mouth (Matthew 4:4)
This is not a time to be rooted in ‘opinion’ and ‘pride of opinion’ this is a time to be rooted even deeper in the Word of God and what the Holy Spirit is speaking and decreeing what He is saying. This is a time unlike any other to be crying out for the wisdom of God (James 1) and waiting at wisdoms doorway daily to hear the Word of the Lord (Proverbs 8:23-24)
My friends in the United States of America, I stand with you. I stand in intercession for your beautiful nation. I want to encourage you to take this word to the Lord and invite the Holy Spirit to come and examine your heart again in the light of His presence. Where the Lord has seen the holding of the knives in many hands, they have to be laid down in repentance. Allow the Holy Spirit to have His way and do His work. Embrace the Refiners fire. Turn from sin, turn from any areas the Lord is highlighting through repentance. He will come swiftly and bring healing and deliverance. It’s a desperate hour for the United States of America. God is dealing with the Church, because He loves her. He is dealing with the Church, for the sake of the nation. Don’t fight the wrong battle, don’t be distracted.
Pick up your swords, as you lay down your knives, fight the good fight of faith standing shoulder to shoulder with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In love, stand united in faith coming against the ENEMY and the spiritual dark forces of this world - not one another. You are not fighting flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12)
Lay down your knives and take up your swords. Come into the place of authority the Lord is calling you into.
The nation hangs in the balance and your position of repentance and intercession as a united army is what will see the plans of the enemy overturned by the power of His Spirit in the nation.