Brandon Neil Richards

Not long ago during a time of prayer and fasting I awoke with Europe and Russia heavily upon my heart and mind. I believe the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to pray for a move of God in Europe. I heard "It will begin in Eastern Europe and sweep into Russia." I was then led to make that my declaration as if it is happening now.

Not many days later, still on my fast I had this dream.

I was with my older brother and we were traveling somewhere to play music and I looked over and saw a tornado forming, and began to point it out but no one would even look (there were other people in the vehicle with us).

We arrived in what I remember to be some sort of outdoor camping area that had an outdoor, covered stage. The swirling clouds moved right over top of us and as I was staring at them with my brother. And while we were watching, a helicopter flew into the sky we were viewing and it was hovering and moving very slow- as if it was searching for something. Then suddenly, there was another that zoomed through really fast. The wind had blown it out of control, and trying to gain control it pulled back and it came flying backwards and it hit the helicopter that was going really slow.

They both crashed to the ground about 50 yards apart. I ran over to the first one, noticing the other one was demolished and no way a person could have lived. The one that was flying slow was still somewhat intact.

As I came up to the helicopter, I noticed the pilot was alive and unconscious. The other passenger was a man with dark skin and he was bleeding very badly and had his legs broken. I went to him and placed my left hand back behind his neck and my other across him and drew down close.

The man was trying to breath and speak. I asked him if he was knew Jesus. He heard but couldn't respond. Then I yelled, " Are you born again". He mouthed , "no". I asked Him if he'd like to be and he said "yes", and we prayed.

By that time the rescue personal had arrived and my brother came to me and he walked me back and said, "its going to be ok now".

Then I learned he was from Kazakhstan.

Then I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me in a voice that reminded me of my dad when he was very serious and insistent that I do exactly what He was saying, in other words- you better do it. "Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan."

Then suddenly, I was in a room and on my computer. I was text chatting over the Internet to one of the pastors at my church.

When I told him about the storm and the guy and all that had happened. The pastors dad, who is also a executive pastor, switched from text chat to audio chat. And he told me that God is marking them off for me.

Then I heard in the same voice again, "Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan."

Then I awoke.

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I recently read about a national prayer gathering and it really made me think about our motivations in prayer. Why do we pray? Why do we go to God in prayer? Are we moved by fear or by faith to pray?

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please  and  be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly  and  diligently seek Him [out].

There's nothing I can think of that is more exciting than praying and encountering God. Whether its for just knowing Him better or form a hedge around a prayer target and intercede for a person, country and watch God answer. What would life be like without being able to go into prayer and hear the Lord for ourselves. A prayer initiative, a movement for the country, this is good, this is right. Let's encourage that!

I would like to address something I believe is important to this initiative, though it isn't 'my movement' - yet if I'm the Christian I should be, then it should just naturally be an ever growing movement, in participation with the Holy Spirit, reflected in the daily prayer time. Coming together to agree in faith and not for fear should be our motivation. God is pleased by faith, not fear.

Some scripture to consider:

Scriptural prophecy is distinct and clear in its purpose.

2 Peter 1:20-21
20 [Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving).
21  For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so--it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.

Test and Prove and keep the good.

1 Thessalonians 5:19
19  Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;
20  Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].
21  But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

Scriptural prophecy all point to Jesus the Messiah's plan of redemption for all nations to win them to the faith.

Romans 16: 25-26
25  Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you in the faith which is in accordance with my Gospel and the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ (the Messiah), according to the revelation (the unveiling) of the mystery of the plan of redemption which was kept in silence and secret for long ages,
26  But is now disclosed and through the prophetic Scriptures is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, [to win them] to obedience to the faith,

Revelation 19:10
10 ... For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours].

The marketing of this gathering is suggesting that God will bring judgment upon this nation. This just isn't so. The biblical context in which they were pointing out is for the Jewish nation... we're not the Jewish nation. It doesn't apply to America, or any other country. If it did, then Iran, Russia, China, Vietnam, Germany, Cuba and all the other nations of the world would have also been gone a long time ago from judgment. Remember Grace? Has the Lord returned yet to judge the world? It makes me wonder the motivation behind that style of marketing.

This is the same presumptuous chatter we heard from some talking about Haiti making a pact with the devil brought God's judgment, and some presumptuously prophesying the hurricane was God's judgment on New Orleans.

Now please let us put it in the correct perspective and light.

We know that the devil controls the forces in the air and all the world around us. (1 John 5:19, Ephesians 6:12)

If God wouldn't destroy Sodom if it contained ten righteous men, then surely God and His people in America will be safe regardless of our government. (Genesis 18:23)

We should pray for our country.
We should pray for our leaders, both good and bad.
We should also pray for the citizens of this country who voted to put them in office.
We should also pray for other nations, so as not to be self serving.

... and all by and in and through faith.

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Lord I pray that I may be filled with the full, deep and clear knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom with comprehensive insight into Your ways and purposes, and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things- that I would live and conduct myself in a manner worthy of You, fully pleasing to You and desiring to please You in all things. That I would bear fruit in every good work and steadily grow and increase in and by the knowledge of God.

I pray that I would be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of Your glory, that I can exercise every kind of endurance and patience with joy.

I give You thanks because you have made me qualified and fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints in the Light.

Today I consecrate my life to you that I may remain faithful by leaning my complete personality on You in absolute trust and confidence in Your power, wisdom and goodness and of the love which you have and show to me.

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Many years ago, I had a friend die in a tragic drowning accident. He was friend to many people. I heard the news from my own brother and I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't. My mind raced with scenarios and images of my friend somehow surviving. My faith was he was still alive somehow. I found myself trying to convince others to believe and have faith that he was somehow still alive.

The truth was, he really was dead. Those that were with my friend when he disappeared into the water knew the truth, they didn’t wonder or imagine crazy, fantastic scenarios because they saw it happen. He wasn’t trapped in an underwater cavern as I envisioned. He wasn’t superhuman and still alive- searching for a way out. He was really dead. He was held by underwater currents and had drowned. The divers who pulled him out of the depths of the water current saw firsthand the truth and even felt the strength of the current that took his life. The revelation of this truth to his friends and family was crushing, devastating. All I could do was weep and lash out at the devil for killing one of my friends.

In John 20:24-31, we have a glimpse of a man, Thomas, who was being told by his closest friends that Jesus ‘is alive!’ That the Jesus who was recently murdered, the Jesus he knew personally and had hung out with was alive again. The rumor was fantastic, but Thomas didn’t believe it.

Here’s how it happened, “So the other disciples kept telling him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe [it].”

Eight days later…

“Eight days later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though they were behind closed doors, and stood among them and said, Peace to you! Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] believe! Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.”

Recently I was having a conversation with a friend. I found myself telling him all the things God was doing around and in me. He told me he is encouraged and likes to hear that God is moving in someone’s life because it gives Him hope and encourages Him that God will do the same for Him. Our conversation changed to those who really know the Lord and those who know of Him. Those who know Him- hang out with Him and experience Him start talking like Him, sounding like Him, thinking like Him, acting like Him. Those who know about Him only know what someone else says about Him. Their faith is based upon the relationship others have or the rumors of Him they hear.

It really is true, let me give you some examples:

Most people have heard about Jesus healing the sick from the Bible, some have heard about Jesus healing people even today. They know Christ heals people. You can ask anyone, Do you believe God can heal the sick? Most will say yes he can and its based upon something that happened to someone else or something they’ve read about in the Bible. The story, the rumor is that Jesus can heal the sick.

Most people have heard that Jesus died for their sins on the cross and that they can be saved from hell because of it. You can ask anyone if Jesus can save them from hell? Most will say they believe God can save them because they have heard the stories, seen the movies, and they know someone else who is different now because of their faith. The story, the rumor is that Jesus can save you from eternal damnation.

Most people have heard about Jesus feeding the multitudes, they’ve heard about supernatural provision and blessing upon someone they know. You can ask anyone, Do you believe that God can supernaturally provide for you and bless you. Most will say yes because they’ve heard the stories, they’ve read the book, they’ve given their ‘seed’, and they know someone who has been blessed and ‘survived’ somehow.

Now ask the very same people if God will do those things for them, right now and their hesitation, response, the incredulous look in their eyes will tell you what you need to know.

The truth is that most don’t get healed, most don’t get saved, most live defeated lives because they know Jesus does these things, but what they don’t realize He IS all these things. Jesus is Healing. Jesus is Provision. Jesus is Savior. That’s who He is, not what He does. What He does is tell the Father at your request through prayer, who He is, and the Father sees us for who we are, His son. I mean we’re the body of Christ! We even have His blood, we have His power, we have His name, we have His authority! We are sons of the living God!

Is your perception, “God will do it for someone else, but He may or may not do it for me?” When was the last time you stood and spoke to the living Jesus? When was the last time you held his hand and felt the flesh that was torn by the weight of your sin upon Him? When was the last time you reached into His side and felt the heart that was pierced for you?

Like my friend who was held underneath the water by the strong current and drown. Are you finding yourself overwhelmed, drowning by the trials and circumstances of life? Are you being held, constrained in your relationship, your life because you’ve only believed in the rumors of God and never really known Him? How is it that you really know Him?

God desires us to know Him in a new way everyday. He’s a deep guy and you could spend the ages trying to learn everything about Him and who He is.

Our faith is not meant to be a six degrees of faith in Jesus Christ phenomenon, but a real relationship with Him. One of the ways we get to know Jesus is through prayer. Next time you’re alone ask yourself: Jesus, is what I believe about you based upon rumors?, Is it based upon only what I’ve heard about you? Do I believe you ARE vs you will? Do I believe things that aren’t true about you? Do I really know you? Just ask for a revelation of Him, so that you can know for yourself who He is. And if you would, why not tell Him you want to know Him more, and hang out with Him more, then begin to do it by praying, sitting quietly, reading His word and listening, just talk to Him throughout your day.

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If I could choose anything to do and anywhere to go, I would choose sitting alone on an early spring morning just at the moment the sun spills over the mountain tops of my grandfather's mountain land. Perhaps its the way the forest comes alive. Orchestrated by the sunlight, the song birds begin to sing and the squirrels search for their hidden treasures. Having endured the night, they always seem to be full of mischief.

Often for me a feeling of hope invades my being as the Sun’s radiance shines upon my face. It’s warmth, removing the chill from my bones. As the wind blows the remaining fog into the still-dark hollows below, visibility increases and all reminders of the night are seemingly forgotten.

A friend reminded me today that no matter how hard times get or how alone I feel while in the wilderness of life - the tough times, God is still with me. Astonished and in awe of the realization God has planned my exact life and all my experiences including those alone in the woods on my grandfather’s land as opportunities to know Him.

I was reminded no matter what the previous night and dark times of the past and present have brought into my life; His light is greater than the darkness. His radiance kindles passion and birth’s new life into my being. The sin and confusion of the past and today are removed and cast into the abyss. In His presence there is clarity. Confusion cannot remain in His presence, for in it there is relationship, clarity of vision, and fullness of joy.

I urge my readers, to not let the sun set upon the day without having spent time with Him. You won’t make it out of the wild without Him.

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Two experiences in my lifetime solidified the reality of God in my life. The first you've read about, the second began out of times of prayer. Once I was baptized with the Holy Spirit. My life truly changed. The Bible became the vitality I needed to survive. The words became real to me and I had no trouble believing anything that I read in it, even if I didn't fully understand it - I chose to believe that the Bible was true no matter what my natural senses were telling me.

During this time I spent lots of time, the time I used to spend reading fantasy books, was replaced with reading the Bible and worshiping God in my room behind a locked door. It was in these times that I first felt the power of God. There would come a point in prayer that I would stop, but then I would push myself to continue and before long a flood of tears and weeping would come over me, most of the time I would feel a slight feeling like an electricity heat on my hands, lips, and head.

One year the youth group I attended travelled to a music festival called Fishnet. We were going to spend a few days enjoying Christian rock music. As was my habit, I went to the tent designated for prayer for anyone who wanted to. There were a few workers there and no one else, it was mid-day. I sat in the metal folding chairs that lined the tent and began praying. I don’t know how long I had been there when I opened my eyes and looked toward the right side entrance of the tent and noticed an older woman in her forties or so walk around the side of tent and pier in as if she were looking for someone. She locked her gaze on me and she stood there. I closed my eyes and went back to praying. Before long, I opened my eyes again and the lady was still standing there looking at me. I thought, what in the world is she looking at me for. In the back of my head I heard in Norvel Hayes’ voice, “Oh Brother..” So I went back to praying, I hadn’t but just closed my eyes when I felt a tap on my shoulder and the lady was asking me if she could lay her hands on me and pray. She said she had been driving down the interstate and said God told her to pull off and pay to go into the festival and to come to this tent. She said she has never done anything like this. So a bit unbelieving I said sure.

She gently laid her hands on me and began to pray for me. Not as soon as she began to speak, I felt like my hair was on fire and my head grew heavy. My body no longer had strength in it and since I was leaned forward in my chair, I rolled forward on my head and flipped into the grass. I had no idea what was happening to me, but I knew God was doing something. The fire feeling spread over my entire body and was heavily concentrated, burning heat on my ears, mouth, hands and the top of my head. It was almost as if I were floating in a river of electrical fire, for to describe the feeling was as if I were being shocked and burnt all at the same time.

Aside from the external feeling, I was weeping beyond control. Snot and tears all over my face I could do nothing but cry and pray in the Spirit. I’m not sure how long I was lying there like this. The weeping would shift from a heart wrenching cry to God to a laughter just like someone flipped a switch. It was like I was being tickled I laughed so hard and then I would go back to weeping. This happened in a cycle 3-4 times. It seemed like I was there for hours and hours. I really don’t know because I had lost track of time. The workers in the tent started getting worried and came over and said they needed to get me into a chair and asked if I was ok. They thought I needed an ambulance or something. I assured them I was fine.

Something amazing had just happened to me. I still don’t understand it but there is absolutely nothing in this world that would talk me out of my relationship and reality of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Nothing.

I wasn’t smart enough to get the ladies name, but she sat in the chairs waiting and looking a little startled herself. I asked her who she was and what she did. She said she was so and so, and she’d never seen or done anything like this before. I asked her what she did or how God uses her or what her calling was? She said she was a psalmist.

That’s really all I can remember of this time.

I do remember no one in the youth group believing me though. My brother even had his doubts. One night a girl from the youth group who was with us asked me to pray with her about something. So I did. I began to pray for her request and laid my hand on the top of her shoulder to pray. When I touched her shoulder I felt something under her skin move and it shifted from her right shoulder around the front of her body to the left side of her shoulder. I was a little freaked out, but I knew about devils and knew how to deal with them. I continued to pray and I heard, “STD”. I stopped praying and said, ” This may sound strange, but the Lord just revealed to me something. I saw it when I put my hands on your shoulder. I asked her if she was sick. She responded with shock. ” What do you mean?”, I asked her,“Are you sick with some sort of sexual disease? God wants to heal you if you are. He just told me STD. Is this true?” She was amazed and began to cry. I began to pray for her and I’m more than positive she was set free that night.

I became part of the intercessory prayer for the church I was attending. Almost every time we met. After an hour or so of prayer, the same electrical fire, loss of strength, weeping, and laughing would come on me.

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A recent prayer time with my family. I had both of my daughters sit on the sofa to prepare their hearts. I asked them to close their eyes and think about God, about Jesus. I asked them to think about the stories they've heard about Jesus and about the other Bible's stories they know. I asked them to think about what God did in each of them and while they did this we prayed that God would reveal Himself to us, to show us Himself, to speak to us.

After a few moments, I sat down with Jewel Grace who is two years old. I asked, “Jewel Grace, what does Jesus look like? She pulled her thumb out of her mouth and responded almost instantly, “He’s pink.” I then said, “He’s pink.” believing God heard our prayers I continued, ” Is He any other color? She responded again, ” He’s pink and puw-pul”. I asked her, “Jewel Grace why is Jesus pink and purple? She responded with a look of concern in her eyes and pulling her thumb our of her mouth to touch her body she said, “He broke Himself.” and it was about this point that I was so glad for Jewel Grace, she had seen Jesus in her child-like state. Her look of concern was looking to me for an answer. I said, “Yes, Jewel Grace… Jesus was pink and purple”, I pointed to her little bruised legs from all her playing and jumping,“and I said He was bruised all over and broke Himself for you, and sister (who was also listening intently and so wanting to share what she saw), for mommy and daddy, and everyone. Jesus broke Himself so bad that He died, and He died for us.” It was one of those times I could tell my words were just sinking in to her little life. She captured everyone of them and I know she understood, maybe not the fullness of it, but the seed of it. And it will grow.

I repeated the questions this time speaking to Jane. Her response was that “He’s wearing a white robe and has brown hair that’s short like yours with a beard that goes into it.” and I thought about how this applies to me and others. We each seem to have a different picture of what Jesus looks like. Artists’ throughout this age have tried to capture the image of Jesus and my Jewel sees Jesus broken, pink and purple while my daughter Jane sees Jesus being Jesus but kind of like her daddy in a way. The truth is that to my children, me and their mother are, should be the image of Christ to our children and so often we lose site of who Jesus is being distracted from the things of this world.

What does Jesus look like to you? Have you taken the time to find Him? If you can’t find Him yourself, then how will your children know who He is?

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For some reason I've always been a night time prayer person. Perhaps it could be that is when things settle down enough for me to be able to begin and focus for a length of time.

Whatever the reason, several times after spending time in prayer, I have lain down and closed my eyes to go to sleep only to be startled by what sounds and feels like a sudden fluttering of a bird’s wings and feathers brushing on each side of my face. My heart would pound in my chest and I knew I wasn’t alone in my bedroom.
The Bible teaches us that we are surrounded by a spiritual world in which we ‘wrestle’ with its inhabitants.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.[ Ephesians 6:12 ]

The Bible also teaches us that God’s angels are ‘ministering’ beings sent to minister to believers, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? [ Hebrews 1:14 ].” Until now, I really didn’t think that much about these occurrences. I knew about the evil spirits we wrestle with but I didn’t know much about angels and how they operate.

In Daniel 9, starting at verse 20 we read how Daniel was in prayer and the angel Gabriel was “sent” because of his supplication.

20Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved;

In Daniel 10, we read an amazing account of the angel Gabriel again being sent because of Daniel’s prayer—only this particular time Gabriel was “withstood” 21 days by the prince of Persia that he could not get through to Daniel. Now there are many things I could go into and take this discussion of angel’s and spirits, but I wonder what would’ve happened if Daniel only prayed and fasted for 7 days, or 14 days? What caused Michael to finally come and help Gabriel? I wonder how many times God has heard our prayers, sent His angels, to have them withstood by the enemy and while they are being withstood we give up on what we’re praying for?

Jesus said, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. [ Mark 11:24 ]”, to “Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened [ Matthew 7:7 AMP ].”

God is not a liar. When we pray our words do not fall on deaf ears. He acts and watches over His word to perform it. If we’re praying for something, perhaps we should “keep on” keeping on with our prayer until God’s message reaches us, knowing that it could be delayed by the enemy. Refuse to give up no matter how long it takes. We need to be aware of more than our natural circumstances, we need to have sort of a ‘spiritual awareness’ that our prayers are affecting the unseen spiritual world around us and when the time comes, the message comes, faith brings forth God’s blessing into the natural realm.

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