Seven Mountains of Culture 6-24-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of lords and King of kings, be Lord and King of my life today. ... "Then the devil led Him up and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to Him, "To You I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be Yours" (Luke 4:5-7). Our Father didn't give the devil his authority and influence over all the kingdoms of the world. Our Father gave that authority to us (Genesis 1:2). And then we gave it to the devil through our choice to rebel against God and submit to him (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-21). To this day, just as he boasted to You in the wilderness of Your temptation, he tempts us to worship him by allowing him to exercise the authority of dominion and influence in the kingdoms of the world You have entrusted to us. If we do, we give him that place of glory that only You deserve. Christian leader Lance Wallnau believes You are revealing to us there are seven mountains of culture that are the key high places of influence and authority in the kingdoms of our world: Religion, Government, Family, Education, Business, Media, and Arts and Entertainment. When we bow to the influence of the devil in these strategic areas of dominion, we abdicate our responsibility and authority to "exercise dominion" over what You have entrusted to our care to be stewarded in submission to Your ways. When we do, "the ruler of this world" has authority and influence in our lives (John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11). That's how "the whole world lies under the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). But as we reclaim our culture through prayer and obedience in submission to You and Your authority and Your ways, we drive the devil out of the places of dominion we have given to him. You are high and lifted up as we repent and return our hearts to You in worship of You alone. We join with the voices of heaven to declare, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Lord, we cry out for the transformation of our communities and culture. Give us the power of Your grace to move forward in the courage of Your wisdom and strength to reclaim the high places in these seven mountains of culture. Let us see the kingdoms of the world restored and redeemed to the glory of Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers this week as I join pastors and ministry leaders from many diverse ministries of the body of Christ for our annual retreat of the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries in the next few days. Rick Joyner leads our retreats as we seek to hear what the Lord is saying to His church in these days: http://www.morningstarministries.org This is one of my times each year for some personal renewal and encouragement, and I'm really looking forward to it. God bless! Please pray for the final steps for publication of my new book -- Morning by Morning, A Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays. This will be a 365 Day Prayer Devotional taking from my morning prayers. It should be released July 4th at the Aldersgate Conference where I'll be speaking and teaching in Columbus, Ohio: http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org (Please come join us!). If you're interested, you'll be able to order a copy of Morning by Morning soon! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org