STAND, WALK, and DANCE ? in the freedom that you have…then be still and see God’s Glory!

Through these difficult 3 months, 150 people across the U.S. made the choice to stand on the Word of God together as participants in the IFA Bible Read-A-Thon Over America.  As the united Body of Christ, they tag-teamed reading through the entire Bible 15 times by Inauguration Day, and dedicated readers still continue to march onward!  If you would like to experience the blessings that come through taking part in the Bible Read-A-Thon, then click here for more information or to sign up. This will take you to the main page which has information, sign up slots and instructions to help you get started.  The Bible Read-A-Thon is just one of many ways that we can fight the good fight, as the Lord has different parts for all believers to play in the battle for both civil liberties, and spiritual victories.

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During the Tuesday, January 19th IFA prayer call, Kris Kubal reminded Christians that we need to “walk in the freedoms that we still have.”  Unlike some countries, we still can openly read our Bibles and speak God’s word.  One comment that continually comes from Bible Read-A-Thon participants is how powerful it is to read God’s word OUT LOUD!  Many share how this time has shown them scriptures to pray for our country and given them comfort and community. When The Lord spoke to me about inviting other women to worship The Lord through dance, the next day He gave confirmation through the Bible Read-A-Thon. On January 14^th, He woke me and a participant from another state at 4am to share a specific passage of the Bible. In 1 Samuel 17 we read the account of David’s unbelievable victory over Goliath and then chapter 18 recounted how the women rejoiced with singing and dancing!  Dance is my favorite way to worship the Lord and at the end of our shift, I found out that the other participant I was reading with also worshipped the Lord through dance in a Messianic Synagogue!

The Bible Read-A-Thon is helping me to STAND for freedom and WALK in freedom, and now the Lord is telling me to also invite other women to DANCE to celebrate His freedom! Although I had no previous experience, for about 5 years I have been worshipping the Lord through dance (usually in my home but sometimes outdoors or in a class).  This began as an expression of joy and thanksgiving weeks after Jesus set me free from over 25 years of deep rooted depression.  As time progressed, dance also became a wonderful time of intercession (I’ve yet to fall asleep praying while dancing!). Worshipping through dance several times a week has definitely helped me maintain a garment of praise as it is an emotional, spiritual, and physical release for heaviness!

Maybe you can relate a little to the struggle of depression because these past few months have been filled with disappointment and discouragement for many Christians.  For 20+ years I “wandered in the wilderness” (even as a believer) before figuring out that Jesus alone is our only true hope and security! While these past few weeks have revealed the true allegiances of some of our elected officials, it has also been a time of reflection and revelation for followers of Christ – where do we REALLY put our TRUST?  The Lord asked me to settle this question the week BEFORE the inauguration, as I felt led to set a time of worship, praise and DANCE for the morning of the 21st, and to invite other women to join me through Zoom. Regardless of what the Lord did or did not do in our country, I purposed in my heart that I would still be celebrating Jesus’ victory over sin and death!

After 7 women from the Bible Read-A-Thon joined me for a 1 hour Zoom gathering the day after the inauguration, I sensed the Lord telling me to continue inviting more women to worship Jesus through dance, intercede for our country and cry out to see God’s glory! Women are invited to join us to participate! Each week will have a different focus for intercession starting with our hearts and homes. You can also do this on your own.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY FOR THIS TIME of UNCHOREOGRAPHED DANCE.
Take part in this seven week strategy of praise–worship the King through dance.

If you are a person who enjoys hearing the back story of how the Lord puts the pieces together and confirms His callings, then read on for some of HIS GLORY-ous details!

Because dance is not a common form of worship in our culture, and I have limited experience with Zoom, I asked God for confirmation about inviting other women to join me.  The next morning I woke up around 3:30am and after some tossing and turning, I realized that The Lord was telling me to call the Bible Read-A-Thon conference line.  By the time I got out of bed it was 4:05.  I had second thoughts because shifts start on the hour, but the Lord assured me that, “IT’S NOT TOO LATE”. I checked and no one else was signed up so I called the conference line to read at 4:15.  To my surprise, Cassandra from Georgia was on the line. SHE SAID THAT THE LORD WOKE HER UP TO READ LAST MINUTE TOO!  The previous shift left off in 1 Samuel which meant we would be reading about David’s unbelievable victory over Goliath, with the reminder that the battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17: 47).  Following this triumph, chapter 18 recounts how the women rejoiced with singing and dancing!  This was a confirmation, about my assignment to dance with other women, but another God-incident  (some say coincidence) was to follow.

At the end of our shift I felt led to ask Cassandra, whom I never read with before, if she ever worships the Lord through dance.  She said she has been going to a Messianic Synagogue for the past 3 years and joins in the DANCING when they celebrate the Biblical feasts. Wow, a second confirmation!  We both thought how amazing it is that the Almighty Lord who is over everything and presiding over this election “mess” (he’s not worried or wringing his hands), still cares about these small details and puzzle pieces in each of our hearts and lives -thank you Jesus!  I decided to include the invitation in my email update to the Bible Read-A-Thon participants which I helped facilitate before passing the baton this week.   15 women responded and about 7 were actually able to join my first ever Zoom gathering the day after the inauguration, to worship Jesus and celebrate his victory over sin and death, as well as intercede for our country as we danced.

Once again, I asked for more confirmation and direction on how to present this invitation.  The next night, while watching my son’s high school soccer game, the phrasing “Worship THE King through dance!” came to mind.

Abruptly my thought bubble burst, when the kid behind me exclaimed, “Dad, did you see the king?” My heart skipped a beat. Then I realized that this boy was referring to his video game, but at the same time I knew it was a confirmation that I was on the right path.

The morning after the soccer game, I woke up just before 4 am AGAIN and felt prompted to read for the Bible Read-A-Thon.  Still half asleep I went to SignUpGenius to find out where the last person left off reading.  Wouldn’t you know that my hour would be in the book of 1st Kings! There is so much in this book that applies to today which teaches us not to put our hope and trust in earthly kings because even the good ones are fallible.  So the previous shift finished chapter 10, which means I started reading 1^st Kings Chapter 11. The full history is too long, but basically, starting right before the election, the Lord repeatedly spoke to me that we are in the 11th hour and confirmed this through scripture and other unique ways in the months after including prompting me to pull my Dad’s Marine Corp clock out of the closet.  When I went to set the clock, I checked and the actual time was exactly 11 O’clock!  Then when I went back in the room a few hours later, it still said 11 because the hand was stuck!  Not only that, but he prompted me LAST MINUTE on 3 different days in January to read at 4am. In addition to 1st Samuel, and 1st Kings, in the other 4am shift, I ended up reading in the book of Revelation – the book that gives the FINAL REALITY!  This happened to be our 15th trip through the Bible – how lavish of The Lord to wake me for this occasion.

This week I asked The Lord, “What’s with all the 4am’s and 11’s???  I had looked at the meaning of the messages separately, but never put them together. Then it hit me. In August it will be 7 years since I created a personal email address and signature based on Revelation 4:11.  “You are worthy our Lord and God to receive GLORY, honor and power.  For you created all things.  By your will they were created and have their being.” We may think that this battle is just about the freedom of America (and the world), but it’s so much more – IT’S ABOUT GOD’S GLORY!  It’s time for our country and God’s people to be revived. John 11:40.  End. Of. Story.