The Emerging Army
For years we have heard the prophetic words over this younger generation. We have labored in the Spirit and travailed to see them come into their place in this vital hour. We’ve sung about it, we’ve prayed about it, we’ve prophesied it and now today before you—they are rising.
All over the earth there is movement of youth and children that are being fascinated by the King of the universe and are rising into a position of spiritual authority. They look like simple children but they are heavy-weights in the Spirit. From North America, to Asia, to Africa, everywhere they are rising. They have one desire— to know their God and to make Him known. They’re willing to ask for nations…they’re willing to be persecuted… they’re willing to cry out all night for their schools and they’re willing to take God at his word.
I have reoccurring dreams of a whole underground movement of children revivalists; children being deployed to the nations with young people risking everything for the Gospel. It’s so much bigger than we can even imagine. There are over six billion souls on the earth and God desperately wants to break in. Over half of the earth’s population is under the age of 15!
Who is this great multitude before the throne? Who are those that will be harvested in these last hours? The young— because they are the majority of who is on the earth. We’ve prayed to the God of the harvest to release laborers and he has heard our cry. He’s raising them up; a whole army of children and youth.
I want to share with you a testimony about a community in Kenya, Africa. In this particular community children really didn’t have much value in the church. Of course, in theory they did, but not in actuality. I had the privilege of spending a few months serving the leaders of this community. I began to share with them God’s vision for the children and youth being released in this hour.
At the same time I began to strategically disciple some of the children and youth. God began to totally transform these kids and they grew in love and authority. God began to really put his hand of favor on these kids and the spiritual leaders of the region finally decided that there might actually be something to this. So the local pastors fellowship invited me to train 600 children (who were representatives of all the different churches in town). These kids were simply taught the undiluted gospel.
We had no curriculum, no crafts, no puppets. I had such fear of God that I was not to serve them a watered down gospel— but rather a gospel of purity and power. While we trained the children, we also trained all the adult leaders in the city (pastors, Sunday school teachers, etc.)-imparting to them God’s heart for inter-generational unity. At the end of the training we had a service where all the local bishops and pastors gathered to publicly and prophetically hand the keys of the city over to the children, thereby inviting them into every level of ministry.
It was a very powerful time. Shortly after, while in a service, a black poisonous snake fell from the sky right out of nowhere and landed on the pulpit. It materialized; there was no way it could have dropped from anywhere that we were meeting. The men quickly jumped up and killed it and instantly I understood what had just taken place. You see, there is a power that is distributed when we walk in unity. As the children were released and truly invited in— the demonic stronghold over that area was broken. I believe the falling snake served as a prophetic demonstration of that stronghold coming down. From that day forward, everything began to change in the city.
Teams of children went into the marketplace, prisons, schools, and shared the gospel with such an amazing authority. Thousands got saved, healed, and delivered. They went into the hospitals and prayed for the sick. They didn’t have fancy prayer;, they just had childlike faith. So many people were healed that the hospital was able to clear entire wards.
We had the privilege of leading many of the doctors and nurses to the Lord. In fact, this went on for some time that the largest private hospital in town had to shut down because they didn’t have enough patients to stay in business. The children would pick a law in the government that was not just. They would begin to fast and pray until heaven was moved and the law changed. They began to cry out for transformation in their cities and as the fathers walked beside them they began to see it. In fact they’re still seeing unbelievable city transformation because of their simple faith and devotion.
I know of 12 year-olds that are helping to do church-planting, six year-olds that are moving in the anointing of prophets, and 16 year olds that are functioning is apostolic roles. We get so excited to hear this about foreign nations but what if I told you that these children might just emerge from your own church? Does that change things? Are we making room for them? We want new wine but are we willing to re-fashion the old wine skins?
How many children do you have on your prophetic team? Do we really want to walk in generational unity? I think God is going to considerably alter our way of thinking in this new day. He loves to use the foolish things to confound the wise. My prayer for us is that since we’ve birthed this young generation into life— that we would begin to make a space for them so that they can emerge into their destiny. God is making His bride beautiful. It is a beautiful thing to see this younger generation rising up. We need them and they need us. God is making room for everyone!
There are principalities and powers that God is longing to see broken over our cities and our nations. We are being compelled to join our hearts with the prayer of Jesus when He said,
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
So Jesus— we say “make us one.” Raise up the true fathers and the true mothers in this hour. We bless what You’re doing in this generation and we say ‘YES’ to this emerging army in both our heart and in our actions. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness! Let Your Kingdom come!