by Dean Mitchum | Jun 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
“When God calls you He affects you in such a way that your core is formed and you begin to burn with purpose and calling.”
Each Star is Called by God
Isaiah 40:26 New Living Translation (NLT)
26 Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.
When God calls you He affects you in such a way that your core is formed and you begin to burn with purpose and calling. He causes such internal conflict that you cannot ignore the burn and something inside of you must be released in order to find that fulfillment.
They Are Set Ablaze By Jesus
Luke 12:49-50 The Passion Translation (TPT)
““I have come to set the earth on fire. And how I long for every heart to be already ablaze with this fiery passion for God! But first I must be immersed into the baptism of God’s judgment, and I am consumed with passion as I await its fulfillment.”
Encounter the influence of the heart of Jesus. This encounter is no passive reflection or pondered moment. It is the disruptive response to the thunderous whisper of the voice of Jesus saying follow me.
They Are Filled with the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:3-4 New Living Translation (NLT)
3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[a] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
The Holy Spirit is our constant source of truth, guidance and comfort. A source that allows the fire to burn continuously.
They Are Set In Place By God
Acts 2:3-4 New Living Translation (NLT)
Psalm 147:4 The Passion Translation (TPT)
4 He sets his stars in place, calling them all by their names.
God has a place and a purpose for you and if you see yourself as a star to display His glory you’ll better understand the zeal that consumes you.
Your fire will be seen by many because passion is evident thought activity and purpose is evident through results.
1 John 3:8 New King James Version (NKJV)
…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Burn with Brilliance!
by Dean Mitchum | Jun 26, 2017 | Uncategorized
“We cannot let what we’ve gone through in our lifetime, in our darkest moments, to set the standard for the new. Our habits will keep us in that same position if we don’t grab ahold of God’s promises for a new era.”
A few weeks ago, my wife Lisa had a vision of a large banner that read New Era. She knew that God was not only speaking to us but to the ministry here at Christian International and to anyone who would receive it.
When God says something of this nature, we should take hold of it. When God declares it, we should believe it and act on it. Lisa and I knew we had to begin to act differently so we could take advantage of the opportunities of this new era. Therefore, I release a prophetic declaration that this is a new era. I decree and release it from the heavens. I decree and release a new era right now in Jesus’ name. Write it for yourself. Write down today’s date and declare a new era.
Sometimes a new era is not recognized until it is history, but as prophetic people God lets us know before it happens. He does this so that we can participate in the acts that will become history. God lets us know so that we can participate in today, what will one day be a record of the new era that took place.
We want to make sure that we take advantage of the opportunities available to us in the now. It takes insight and wisdom and prophetic revelation to understand what’s available to us now that wasn’t available to us before. Many of you have lived in cycles and limitations that you know were true. But this is a new era. That means that your limitations are no longer limitations.
Your boundaries are changed. Your sphere is increased. Your actions have a greater impact than they did before. The fruit of your productivity will become greater than ever before..
Receive The New Era
Exodus 12: 1-2, “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (KJV).
In the beginning of a new calendar year, there is an excitement about the something new. But there’s a time when God speaks. And when God says it’s a new year, it’s a new year, a new era. He is speaking into the current situation and saying it’s a new era for you. I want you to receive that right now. God is speaking to you, “This month shall be the beginning of the year for you.” A new year, a new era. When God says it’s new, it’s new.
Believe The New Era
Luke 4:16-22, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” (KJV).
I wonder how many times they had heard that scripture in past studies. How many times had they taken turns reading that scripture? Yet on that day, Jesus declared a new era. They had been expecting that scripture to be fulfilled for so long and on that day, Jesus said, “Today, and all who bore witness to him marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.”
You’ve got to believe it. You can’t just hear it. You must take ahold of the new era. “All who bear witness will see the new day.” I don’t care how many days you have spent believing in something to take hold. Today, God says, this is the beginning of your new year. This is the day that scripture is fulfilled. You’ve got to grab ahold of it and declare this is a new era!
Declare The New Era
What a difference a day makes. When you write something down, declare it, and publish it, you’re taking responsibility for what you believe and declaring it by faith. No matter what comes against you, no matter what lines up, or doesn’t line up, you’re taking responsibility.
July 4th, 1776 was the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It contained a declaration and a date. The Declaration of Independence was the declaration of a new era.
January 1st, 1863 was the day that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and a new era began. His dated and signed proclamation declared to the nations, “Let it be known that all slaves henceforth and forever are free,” and a new era began.
Own The New Era
Whether Hebrews who were former Egyptian slaves, Jewish believers, American representatives, or former American slaves, a group of people had to believe what was declared and had to engage in what was declared in order to benefit from their new era.
I want to encourage you to read the book by Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery. I believe that every person of every color, no matter the background, who reads this book will be a better person. It will go deep in your soul and spirit. God used this man, of keen wisdom and understanding, to raise up a whole mass of people that “they might burn with the desire and knowledge to have a profitable operation of their calling.” That’s the way he put it – “a profitable operation of their calling.”
What we cannot do is allow our darkest times to set the standard for the new era. Personally, and nationally, God has a higher standard. Booker T. was only 8 or 9 years old when he was freed. There were dark and despairing times when he worked in the coal mines of West Virginia, but he had hope in God concerning his circumstance. He didn’t limit his life to the darkest experience of slavery or the dark coal mines, he didn’t set his expectations to the darkest time.
We cannot let what we’ve gone through in our lifetime, in our darkest moments, to set the standard for the new. Our habits will keep us in that same position if we don’t grab ahold of God’s promises for a new era. We need to act according to the promises of a new era. As a former slave, Booker and his people could now walk off the plantation or the farm and no one was going to chase them. They could walk off because they were free. People began to walk around the town and the countryside because they could. They had never experienced that before and some were gone for hours while others never came back. Suddenly, as Booker T. described it the reality of freedom hit them. A people who had never provided for themselves, owned property, had a budget, a plan, paid taxes, voted, were now in a position that they would have to learn basics in life – things they’d never done before.
The blessing of freedom is not simply getting to do anything you want, because ultimately, you may not want to do anything at all. You may want to just keep living life as you know it and not progressing to the next best thing. The blessing of freedom is the ability of taking ownership of yourself, your destiny, your next best thing. Freedom is not being free from work or labor. It just means now you get to reward yourself with your own labor. And the fruit of your labor is yours. So, we’ve got to act like and take steps in the knowledge that a new era is taking place. This new era is ours to make history in and to change circumstance through His promise to us.
There comes a moment in a new era where you must make the decision to act. You might believe or even decide to act, but when called to do so you must also be willing to take a new identity in and through Him. Before Booker T. went to school the first time, he did not have a last name. As a slave he had no need of a last name. But when his teacher asked each student for their names, each responded with a first and last, and at his turn he shouted out “Booker Washington, As if I had owned that name all my life.”
Some of you have not taken up your new identity because you haven’t had a need for it. God says, “It’s now. I’m placing a demand on your mantle. I’m placing a demand on your calling. I’m placing a demand on your identity as my son and daughter.”
What is your new era? What are the needs in this new era? If you’ll take the time to answer these questions you will find the answers are very empowering. Personalize them: What is my new era? What are the needs in my new era?
The power of forgiveness will propel you in your new era. If you hold things against those that you’ve been dealing with it’s going to affect your new era. How can I best serve the kingdom? Booker T. taught the first generation of free people how to lay down their lives for the next generation of free people. This provided them with a platform and a foundation on which to build their lives.
It’s a new era, it’s a new era. This is the first month of your new year. Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This is your independence day. This is your emancipation day. Take advantage of the opportunities in this, your new era. Don’t believe it’s the same season. Try something different.
Lord we thank you for this new era. We thank for a new year. We thank you for the things being fulfilled for us today. We thank you that you are fulfilling our every need and that by your blood: we have independence and emancipation from the things of the past. Thank you, Father, for what you’re doing in us right now in this day, in this hour. We come into agreement with your word, your plans. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
by Dean Mitchum | Jun 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
“We will continue in transformational worship and transitional worship until we are fully transformed and completely transitioned.”
Over the last fifty years the Tabernacle of David has been the standard of worship for churches across many denominations and streams and it has positioned us for what God wants do next.
God is summoning the earth to prepare for His Glory in a new way. He is sending forth from heaven a sound that is moving us towards His plans.
Revelation 21:3 New King James Version (NKJV)
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Why We Needed David’s Tabernacle
One key element in the Tabernacle of David was the prophetic element. Not just prophetic worship but the prophetic message and demonstration. The essence of the prophetic is expressing the heart and mind of God.
David demonstrated new covenant worship before the new covenant was established, 2 Sam. 6:13, Acts 15:16. He demonstrated the heart of God toward future worship where the presence of God would not be limited by location but poured out on all flesh.
Prophetic voices should lead to the heart of God. David pointed to the next temple, the living temple. John the Baptist pointed toward Jesus. Even our Lord Jesus pointed to the Father.
Transformational Worship and Transitional Worship
These are two dimensions of worship that serve different purposes. Transformational worship is that which changes the believer or the worshiper on a personal level. We are being transformed by the Spirit of God, by the very nature of His presence 2 Cor. 3:18. Then is reflected on the songs we sing.
Transitional worship is that which changes the church on the kingdom level. It transitions us to a new dimension. From Moses’ Tabernacle to David’s Tabernacle and now to God’s Tabernacle Rev 21.3.
Transitional, prophetic worship is looking ahead to what God is doing and then worshiping, writing , and speaking from that dimension.
We will continue in transformational worship and transitional worship until we are fully transformed and completely transitioned.
Zechariah 12:7-8 New King James Version (NKJV)
7 “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.
Four Reasons to Go Beyond the Tabernacle of David
- To Stay In Line With Plans Of God.
Whenever God changed the worship in the Kingdom he would send forth a message that the prophets would speak and the psalmist would sing about. The artisans would create new things and the people would worship with a new expectation Ex. 35:10, 1 Chron. 22.
Once again God’s messengers are speaking a message of a third reformation and awakening. God is moving us toward His next tabernacle of worship.
- To Realign Our Focus From David To God.
David taught us to worship God in powerful ways, but he didn’t want us to stop at the ways of worship. When we changed our focus, we position ourselves for new revelation. We have a new starting point to go from.
What we focus on grows. The ways of Moses and the ways of David have led us to the ways of God. God himself will be with us and be our God.
We are now Beholding the image of God and are being transformed into that same image.
2 Corinthians 3:18 New King James Version (NKJV)
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord.
- To Broaden Our Understanding Of The Glory Of God.
The tabernacles of Moses and David focused on the Glory of God though tabernacle, tent, and temple. The tabernacle of God is coming to us a city. Where the glory of God replaces the sun, moon, and the temple for The Lamb is it’s light and temple.
- To Show Is The Heart Of God Towards Us.
Previous tabernacles pointed toward the promises of God and toward God. The Tabernacle of God shows God coming to us. God himself will be with us and be our God. His heart is to be with us and to bring all of hid glory and majesty.
Worshiping With A Current Reality and A Future Reality
When moving beyond the tabernacle of David let us remember that it is within the framework of David that we worship newly. Both David and Moses worshiped by holding a current reality and a future reality.
The current reality was that The Lamb had not come but The Lamb would come. Our current reality and future reality is that The Lamb has come and The Lamb will come again. This time in the fullness of His glory and with The Father and his glory.
Understanding promises and prophecies and how praise and worship connect to these.
David understood the importance of declaring and praising your way to the next dimension. He wrote songs about his future seed and praised God for the future fulfillment of His promises.
To go beyond the tabernacle of David is to honor the tabernacle of David because Jesus is the tabernacle of David fulfilled. Acts 15:16
by Dean Mitchum | Jun 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
“Everybody knows God has something for you to do. That you have a mantle. Why are they watching? They are watching with an expectation. They are watching for your transition.”
2019 is a year to place a demand on your mantle. It is a time to walk in the anointing of those you have served under; coupled with the anointing that God has placed on your life. This is a season to choose to believe in the mantle of God on your life. A time to place a demand on that mantle and risk the results of that decision.
Elisha faced such a moment. The Bible tells us, “He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan” (2 Kings 2:13, NKJV). As he stood facing the Jordan river, after Elijah had been taken up in a whirlwind, he realized that the mantle was now his. He was now positioned to receive everything he had pursued up to that moment: A double portion of the Spirit of Elijah.
Elisha was bold and confident. He did not have to beg God for the mantle. He stepped into it, making a covenant with Elijah for a double portion. Elisha believed that he would receive that double portion and he did receive it. He chose to believe and received.
It is time for you to put a demand on the double portion: wisdom, anointing, understanding, finances. strategy, leadership, confidence. Don’t settle for what you’ve had. It doesn’t matter how good it was or how wonderful it was. It’s not enough! Go on, to the next level. It’s the do or die moment.
We’re about to go back and face people who have heard our prophetic words. They have heard you say what we believe God wants us to do. We will face naysayers. Take up your mantle. Elisha was not handed the mantle of Elijah, even though it was promised to him. The bible says it fell from Elijah and Elisha pick it up.
My wife Lisa says that Elijah no longer needed that mantle, but the mantle needed to stay on the earth. The double portion that Elisha had asked for was lying on the ground waiting to be picked up. This is a time for you to pursue the result of your servanthood and ask for the double portion. The pursuit of your mantle will carry you through certain transitions. Following the source of your mantle will require your determination.
Placing a demand on your mantle requires a transition. A transition is more than going through something. It is who you become while going through it. Recognize that God is about to bring some changes in your life. Some of us are going to grow up. Grow, up! Transition to place a demand on your mantle.
The Transition of Bethel.
In 2 Kings 2, NKJV, we read about Elijah’s ascent to Heaven: “1 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.’ So, they went down to Bethel.”
Everybody knows God has something for you to do. That you have a mantle. Why are they watching? They are watching with an expectation. They are watching for your transition.
Agitation of the brethren: Jacob to Israel.
God visited Jacob and gave him a prophetic word. Jacob called that location Bethel, the house of God, for surely the Lord was in this place. This was a promise. Jacob’s transition was a prophetic word that he believed for the rest of this life. God listened to him at Bethel and changed his name. His transition was from who he had been to who he would become. Elisha was also asked to follow the voice of the prophet at Bethel.
Following the voice of the prophet through the house of God where God speaks to us.
God speaks to us all the time and in various places. But sometimes we don’t stop long enough to name the place where God speaks to us. It’s just a memory and not an altar. It remains a rock on the ground and not a city developed. When we take the time to remember what God is doing, it takes us through transition.
The Transition of Jericho
2 Kings 2:4 “Then Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So, they came to Jericho.”
Jericho is known in history as the place where the walls fell. The significance is that transition is not just about going somewhere but becoming someone. Jericho was also known as the City of Benjamin, because it was in the tribe and territory of Benjamin.
Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob. As his mother died giving him birth, she named him Benoni, “son of my sorrow”. But Jacob intervened and called him Benjamin, meaning son of my right hand. There is a transition that must take place from shame, guilt and sorrow to believing in the value that God has placed on you. In past seasons, some have transferred their sorrow and sadness upon you, and that has caused you to live in the limitation of their understating. God the Father is transitioning you to His understanding and His name for you. Even if your birth caused anguish, your life will cause blessing. No baby is ever at fault of being born. The transition to place a demand on your mantle is important. You must have the confidence to place a demand on the mantle. We must believe what God has said over us.
The Transition of The Jordan River
2 Kings 2:6, “Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So, the two of them went on.” The Jordan river means to draw from two springs. Transition sometimes has you cross both ways. You go over as one person, but you come back as another. You come back with a new authority. You come back with a new mantle. You come back with a new commissioning. You come back from seeing things you hadn’t seen before.
Do not be content with the current status or level. Ask for double! We have a tendency to suffer loss and ask God to only restore what we had. God says that was never the plan. The plan is for you to have more than you had. When you have a chance to ask, ask for more than you had. The responsibility to do more is our reason to ask for more. Everything you had served for and asked for is now before you. You have a new responsibility.
Elisha crossed with Elijah but came back alone. Sometimes transition is not about you going, but about coming back as a new person. Transition is more about who you become than where you go. It is:
- Releasing your mantle.
- Challenging your own beliefs in your mantle.
- Having patience with those who must grow tired of searching for the old.
- Awakening your mantle to miracles for others.
It is not pride to place a demand on your mantle. It is called obedience. It is not wrong to place a demand upon the gifts God has given you. It is not wrong to speak boldly and with authority when God has given you the mantle that you have asked for. There is a demand on your mantle. If we believe we have a mantle, we will act like we have a mantle.
In 2019, God is telling us to place a demand on the mantle. That mantle is all the teachings, all the anointings, all the blessings that you have ever served in and those poured out upon you. Coupled with the calling God has on your life, it is a mantle of the gifting and grace God has given to you. That mantle is the desire or burning that God has put in your heart. It is how you affect this world for His Kingdom’s sake.
Elisha had a confidence in the covenant he made with Elijah and the God of Elijah. When Elijah was gone, God still was! Sometimes, we put too much emphasis on the people we know and not the God we know. He wants to give you twice what you had, the Double Portion.
We should not go back looking to recapture what was. The problem is that we want God to move like he did before. So, we’ll search for days to find what He used to do wasting time, energy and resources instead of recognizing that the transition has occurred.
Do not look for Elijah. Elijah is gone. Look to God, the double portion of the Word of the Lord. We now look for the new transition. We strike the water with a confidence that we have a double portion, because we have seen the transition. We’re not going to look for what we used to have. We’re not going to hold on to what we used to have. We’re going to grab ahold of what God wants for us and move forward into a new double portion dimension.
New mantle of prophecy, miracles, and wisdom
What is your mantle? It means to walk in the anointing of those that we have served under, coupled with the anointing that God has placed on our lives. God is taking the things you no longer need up to the heavens in order to give you the things you do need. Take up your mantle and strike the Jordan. Let it part the waters and now cross over into the new mantle. Where is the Lord God of Elijah?
by Dean Mitchum | Jun 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
“I encourage prophetic worship leaders to fill your quivers with the word, the Spirit, and with skill. These are how you will be ready to draw your arrows, and serve the church with your gifts.”
The restoration of the Prophets and Apostles has brought the church to an amazing time in history. The revelation and wisdom in this period has changed the way we worship and set forth new practices in our gatherings.
For over 22 years now I’ve served the Father of the prophetic movement, Bishop Bill Hamon and Apostles Tom and Jane Hamon at Christian International Ministries in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.
In total now I’ve been leading worship for over 36 years with 27 of those in prophetic ministry. I wanted to share with you the seven ways prophetic worship leaders serve the church.
1. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Musical Partners
They partner with the prophets and apostles to create an atmosphere for prophecy. According to 2 Kings 3:15, Elisha called for a musician to play so he could prophecy to the kings who came to see him. The musician played and the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha to prophesy.
2. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Responders
They respond musically to what God is saying and doing in a service. They respond musically to what leaders are doing in a service. They respond to prophetic words given by singing the prophetic word or pulling from their song quiver songs that apply to the word and help solidify the message. They adapt their song list to respond to the Holy Spirit or to leadership. 1 Chron. 25:3
3. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Musical Warriors
Isa 30:32 and Ps. 144:1 tells us that our hands are fingers are weapons of war and that the enemy shall be beaten with the playing of tambourines and harps.
Bishop Bill Hamon, whom I’ve served for over 22 years, takes us through prophetic acts of warfare. We play as long as he needs and with the revelation of the scriptures above, we play and serve as musical warriors.
4. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Flexible Servants
1 Chron. 25:1 show us that the musicians established by King David would prophesy at the order of the king. This means that we are flexible as to when we prophesy and play. Our leaders may need us at the end of service, middle of service or anytime we gather. The point here is to be flexible and prophesy on the instruments by faith.
5. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Timely Messengers
They choose songs that declare the new day or season that God is releasing on the earth. Ps. 57:8 declares that the awakened instrument is used in the awakening of a new day. Singing songs of the season and of the timeless word of God is essential for embedding new truths into our belief system. We believe what we sing and we should sing what is true and timely.
6. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Spontaneous Singers
Ps. 45:1 mentions that the tongue is the pen of a ready writer and 1 Cor. 14:5 says the we will sing in the Spirit and with understanding. David had this revelation and would call on his musicians and singers to prophesy at his direction.
There are countless times where Apostle Tom Hamon has turned to me during a service and said “Dean, I believe that you have a song of the Lord to release over the congregation.” And I’m thinking to myself, “I do now.”
But God never fails. I simply believe in Apostle Tom’s faith and I release a prophetic song.
7. Prophetic Worship Leaders are Singing Prophets
Zeph 3:17 shows us that God rejoices over us with singing. We can be the mouth of God to release a song over his church. We sing the word of the Lord.
Acts 1:16 tell us that the Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David. David prophesied through the songs that he wrote.
In 1997 I wrote a song about Elijah on Mount Carmel. The second verse stated we are the church on the mountain. Little did I know that the next year I would be on Mount Carmel leading prophetic worship at a church called Church On The Mountain. I prophesied and didn’t know it.
Many of you have received prophetic words about being prophets but didn’t quite see how. You compared yourselves to other prophets and didn’t get it.
David didn’t prophesy the same way Isaiah or Samuel did, he prophesied through song writing. Many of you are prophets through your songwriting. It’s time to take up that mantle.
I encourage prophetic worship leaders to fill your quivers with the word, the Spirit, and with skill. These are how you will be ready to draw your arrows, and serve the church with your gifts.
