Preparing to Enter the Land

by Chuck D. Pierce
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Note from Chris:

I first received the following word from Joel News in April 2001. June 1, 2001 - I attended a "Worship Together" conference in Kitchener/Waterloo (formerly named Berlin!), Ontario. There, Noel Richards described his vision of lifting up the name of Jesus in Berlin, Germany - "Calling All Nations". At that time the Lord said to me: "Go, I want you there to play your violin for your people ... "

" ... Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." Genesis 13:17 __________________________________________________

Any time we hear God's call to a new mission field, we must be properly prepared to enter into that field. The word "prepare" means to make ready, or to put together a framework from various elements or ingredients for the plan which is necessary to equip you for victory.

Many of you are beginning to hear the call of God to the 40/70 Window. When we think of securing our inheritance, many of our spiritual and cultural roots are attached to this region of the world. Therefore, ingoing, praying, and gaining keys of revelation to unlock the spiritual inheritance of this region, the spiritual inheritance of our lives and families gets unlocked as well. There are 62 nations or districts to which the Lord could call each one of us. Each has a distinct people and culture. Each of these fields also has a history, both good and evil, that must be acknowledged, understood, and connected to God's overall plan and destiny for world Harvest.

I frequently read the book of Joshua to gain insight over how to approach and enter into any new missions directive that the Lord gives me. I recently reread this book and gained the following insight as I prepared for a trip into the 40/70 Window. In March I led a team to France, Italy, Switzerland, and Northern Ireland. The following points should assist you and any team that you are on as you enter into these nations and co-labor with the Spirit of God to unlock the future Harvest.

Guidelines on Entering the Land

1. Know your position of authority. Moses had passed his mantle on to Joshua. This mantle gave Joshua the authority to lead and direct the people into the field. We are all not Joshuas. Joshua sent out two individuals to secretly go and view the land they were to enter. We need to know our role on the team of which we are a part. You need to know if you are leading, or if you are taking direction from someone. For Joshua to take the inheritance that God had covenanted with Abraham, there had to be leaders, priests, warriors, secret ambassadors, and key connectors. So the first step is to know your role in the mission. This is a day where God is commissioning intercessors and sending them into fields to just pray. The term that is arising to describe this is missionary intercessors. I will write more about this in the next Global PrayerNews. The Lord is also sending in leaders to connect with other leaders in these fields. Your role on the team should be fully defined and understood.
2. You should understand God's covenant plan for the area to which you are going. The Lord told Joshua to meditate day and night upon THE BOOK OF THE LAW. In doing this, He promised Joshua that his way would be prosperous and that he would have good success. He also instructed him to have confidence in the call that had been placed on his life. The Book of the Law contained God's covenant plan, directions, and boundaries that were necessary for understanding how to unlock His promises for the land they were entering. Try to find the spiritual history of the nation to which you are going. Has there ever been a revival in that nation? Did God release a prophetic plan for revival that has never been fulfilled in the nation to which you are going?
3. You must spend time being sanctified in a new way. To sanctify means to hallow, set apart and separate. Another meaning is to "not be common". Once you understand the field you are going into, be sure you have allowed the Lord to sever anything that would cause you to be ensnared and becommon to the strongholds that are in that field. I suggest three days ofprayer and fasting before you leave for your mission trip. Please encourage your team to pray and fast also as the Lord would lead them. Strict discipline was imposed upon the people of God before they went into war or confronted their enemies. You must be very disciplined in the team of which you are a part. If you begin by prayer and fasting, I believe this will carry you through the entire mission that you are a part of. You will have a sensitivity to the Lord's voice and will follow the team "rules" as your trip progresses.
4. Research and gain as much information as possible over your field. Joshua sent in two secret ambassadors to see what was in the land. These individuals went in to understand the city states, the government of those city states, the fortresses, the armies and so on. Spirit-led and field research is very important for anyone taking a trip. Even in the natural I try to gain as much information as I can about the place I am visiting. There are some wonderful books on each nation. I would suggest you buy a travel book to accompany you. Then I would suggest you check with our Observatory to see if they have done any key research on the nation to which you are going. Then go a step further and look into the spiritual realm to see if there are any places where key spiritual events have occurred in the nation that you are being sent to. Sometimes it is necessary to go to a place and stand on that land and declare God's glory will come into that nation in a new way.
5. You should consider making key contacts in the nation to which you are going. I always ask the following questions as I enter in a nation: Who are the key apostolic leaders? Who are the key intercessors? What groundwork has been done in this nation? How can I serve those who are presently laboring in the nation that I am entering into? I then look for key surprise contacts that God just puts in my path to help me along the way. These "Rahab connections" are very important for our success in anyfield.
6. Learn to follow the Spirit of God. The Lord changed the way that He manifested to the people of Israel. They were used to seeing the glory of God manifest in a cloud by day and fire by night. The Lord changed this manifestation method and procedure to include the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord preceding the people and their learning to move as the Ark moved. Be very sensitive to the leading of the Lord as you go in because His glory should precede you and be your rear guard as you take one of these trips. The glory of God gives you favor to go through doors that would normally be closed to you. And the glory also becomes a rear guard behind you to seal you from the backlash of the enemy.
7. The timing of your trip is important. Joshua went in at the time of the swelling of the Jordan. This was the season when the Jordan overflowed its banks during the whole time of harvest. Pray for the Harvest to be ripened. Ask God to give you eyes for the Harvest of that particular land. The definition of your mission should determine the timing of your trip. As you know, the Lord asked us to go around the world last year and pray in the key financial centers. We just happened to be in Berlin when the national leadership of Germany was meeting to determine repayment of finances to the Jews. We prayed there two days. Since that time over nine billion dollars has been released back to the families of Holocaust victims. Timing is so important.
8. Worship along the way. Once Joshua and the people crossed over the Jordan and got firm footing, they took memorial stones, built an altar, and worshiped. I believe worship is important on any prayer journey. Your team should find time perhaps on a daily basis, but at least after every key victory.
9. Enter that nation clothed in humility. Once the people crossed over the Jordan, fear struck the enemy's heart. The word says, "Their heart melted and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel." The spiritual enemies of the land knew when God's envoy entered in to make prophetic declarations. However, the first thing God required His people to do was to make "flint knives and circumcise the people"-making them vulnerable before the Lord and very humble. Do not enter any land with pride in your heart. Enter with a humility and a dependence on God to bring success to your mission.
10. Gain strategy before you go up against the enemy. From then on, at every city and for every battle, Joshua, the leaders of the tribes, and the army had to gain key strategy. I suggest you have daily meetings either at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day so you can hear God before you progress throughout the land that you have entered.

These key points should help you become victorious on the mission that God is sending you.

Published by permission - Glory of Zion International