March 16, 2010
Dear Friend,
It is 5:00 a.m. I have been up all night praying and agonizing over the
condition of America. While praying for the nation in general, and also concerning
a gathering this summer to cry out for awakening in America, I felt drawn to the
book of Joel. While reading it, this word began to stir in me for our nation. I know
it is lengthy, but please read it prayerfully. Not since October of 2000, have I
been so burdened for America. At that time I issued a call to prayer, which, due
to the favor and anointing of the Lord on it, went viral. Millions received it and
prayed. My heart cry is that the same thing happens with this word, for I am
actually more burdened now than I was then.
America is in a horrendous crisis of monumental proportions, a season
much like Israel in the days of Joel. This Old Testament prophet warned of
devastating judgment coming to Israel, but laced the warning with hope and
God’s mercy if certain things occurred. That is precisely where we are in
America. We Americans are a confident and optimistic people, which is often
good, but can also create a dangerous denial and crippling passivity. This is
happening with many. But please do not be deceived by those who are saying
everything is fine. The truth is that we, as a nation, are in serious trouble. Listen
to these words from Joel – they are accurate for us today:
What a day! Doomsday! God’s judgment has come. The strong God has
arrived. This is serious business! … Shake the country up! God’s
judgment’s on its way – the Day’s almost here! (Joel 1:15, 2:1; The
Message)
The State of the Nation
If God brought corrective but serious judgment to Israel, we are horribly
deceived if we think it will not happen to us. If something doesn’t happen to
lessen this judgment-and it can be lessened–we are headed for very difficult
times. The economy is going to be devastated. The stock market will go well
below where it went a few months back-a crash is coming, and soon. More
terrorism and violence will occur in our land, perhaps even war. In my spirit I’ve
seen buildings crumbling and cities burning. Devastating natural disasters will
take place. In general, hard times will be prevalent. Why is this so? Because we
have turned from God and His ways. Consider the true condition of America.
This assessment is bleak but accurate.
1) Our government is in decay. The current leaders of Congress
promote homosexuality, abortion and socialism, while arrogantly ignoring
God and the wishes of the people. They are proud, power-hungry, selfserving,
career politicians, not the statesmen/women we so desperately need. Our President fits the same description. Along with the above, while honoring-in the White House-the Muslim day of prayer, homosexual activists and a coalition of atheists, he refused to honor the time-honored traditions surrounding the National Day of Prayer. And along with Congress and the President, we have many Judges with no regard for God’s word, the Constitution or our true history. The predictable verdict is in: America is in a moral and spiritual crisis of such
magnitude that it is almost unbelievable.
2) What does this look like practically? From my grandparents’ day
until now, we have gone from 65% of Americans having a biblical
worldview to now 4% of today’s young people sharing these beliefs. This
is staggering! Apart from an absolute miracle, which I believe is still
possible, we have lost a generation of Americans to Satan and secular
humanism. Generally speaking, we are a narcissistic, self-loving nation
that has accepted a culture of death, perversion, drugs and violence. We
have murdered 51 million babies in the womb and to satisfy the cry for a
toleration of immorality and perversion, we are ready to throw away 6000
years of honoring God’s definition of marriage and family.
3) The church, which is supposed to be salt and light for this mess,
is neither. Though a remnant has remained faithful, for the most part the
church of America has become totally irrelevant and completely
ineffective. We have produced lukewarm Christians and a generation that
doesn’t know God or His ways. Our pulpits are filled with smiles, not
tears; entertainment, not passion; and self-help stories, not prophetic truth.
Our feel-good messages and mega fun-centers have anesthetized us to
the reality of our condition and, as opposed to offering solutions, are
actually part of the problem. We, the church, are not changing our world,
we’re being conformed to it. It’s easier to find the truth about our condition
as a nation on talk radio than in our churches. We have left our first love
and abandoned our cause. In short, an apostate church, an ungodly
government and a culture of death, perversion and self-centeredness has
earned us an appointment with judgment.
There Is Still Hope for America
But there is still hope. God desires to bring a Third Great Awakening to
America. It can be truly amazing – millions saved and delivered; all of society
impacted in a huge way; the youth of America finally introduced to the true Christ
in all of His power. But please hear me when I say this: “our prayers and actions
will determine the magnitude and timing of this awakening; and the level of
awakening will determine the magnitude of our judgment. Again, the hope-filled
words of the prophet Joel are very pertinent:
But there’s also this, it’s not too late-God’s personal Message! Come
back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your
sins! Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up
with a lot. This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to
cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe he’ll turn
around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be
blessings full and robust from your God! (Joel 2:12-14; The Message)
What powerful words of hope! Re-read them. Our God is so ready to show
mercy. But not to the proud and indifferent! The prescription to turn a crisis such
as Joel warned of and that which we face today, and the trigger that releases the
spirit of awakening to offset it have never changed: repentance, humility, prayer
and fasting. Please hear me: This is our only hope for a reduced sentence.
Judgment cannot be fully averted but it can be lessened.
A Joel 2 Gathering: Wilderness Outcry
With this in mind, I now believe more fully than ever that a strategy
recently given to some colleagues and me is from the Lord. There are and will be
numerous opportunities for Americans to gather corporately and cry out to the
Lord, but this is one that I know God has ordained and will use greatly. Through
dreams and other confirmations, He has spoken and directed several national,
spiritual leaders to call for a “Joel 2 gathering.” We are calling for tens of
thousands of believers to join us this June 14-18, for 5 days of worship, prayer
and some form of fasting (a meal a day, etc.) in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. (Though
we will have worship Monday and Friday, the heart of what occurs will be 3 days,
Tuesday through Thursday.) Listen once more to the words of the prophet
Joel-he articulates what we are calling for:
Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion! Declare a day of repentance, a holy
fast day. Call a public meeting. Get everyone there. Consecrate the
congregation. Make sure the elders come, but bring in the children, too,
even the nursing babies, even men and women on their honeymoon-
interrupt them and get them there. Between Sanctuary entrance and altar,
let the priests, God’s servants, weep tears of repentance. Let them
intercede: Have mercy, God, on your people! Don’t abandon your heritage
to contempt. Don’t let the pagans take over and rule them and sneer, and
‘so where is this God of theirs?’ (Joel 2:15-17; The Message)
A Call to the Entire Nation
Can you hear the passion and desperation in these words from the
prophet? One translation says: “Sound the alarm.” No one was exempt from
Joel’s call: spiritual leaders had to come; young and old had to come, even
nursing babies; honeymoons had to be postponed! No one was excused. And
this sweeping appeal is no less appropriate today. I plead with you to hear the
call: we have come to a Joel 2 time in America! So much hangs in the balance!
How we respond to Him today will decide what America looks like for the next 50-
100 years!
This Joel gathering will be led by individuals who have truly been mantled
by God for such a time as this: Lou Engle, who carries the greatest mantle of our
day for solemn assemblies and Nazirite consecration, will lead much of the
gathering. Lou feels this could launch the next phase/generation of the Nazirite
movement that was embodied in The Call gatherings of the last 10 years.
(Please go to www.wildernessoutcry.com to read a dream one of Lou’s spiritual
sons had about this gathering.) Karen Wheaton and Damon Thompson of the
Ramp will also be leading the gathering with Lou and me. Without question, the
Ramp has the greatest mantle of/for awakening that I know of anywhere. They
will be releasing this anointing. There will be approximately 25 very anointed
worship leaders joining us – the worship will continue 24 hours a day, pausing
only for a few short messages – as well as other national leaders from around
the nation. This is not a concert and it isn’t a festival. It will truly be “presence”
driven, and the Holy Spirit is going to hover over us for these special days and
nights as we humble ourselves before Him. Can you imagine what it would be
like if thousands of people from all 50 states did this in one accord for several
days? I don’t know if there has ever been a gathering quite like it.
Many of those attending will be camping in tents and campers on the land.
We have room for 35,000-40,000 people to camp on this incredible property. (Go
to www.wildernessoutcry.com to register for a site.) Many others will camp in
nearby campgrounds, and for traffic flow reasons, be bussed back and forth
throughout the day and night. Still others will stay in nearby hotels and also be
bussed in. Even if you have to stay as much as an hour away, I assure you that
these days will be some of the most significant of your life! And just think, in
Joel’s day they walked for hours-probably days-to join the gathering.
Please come! It is not too late for America. Together we can release the
transforming effect of a Third Great Awakening. If Woodstock 40 years ago could
change a nation, what could thousands of believers crying out to God for several
days accomplish?! We would like to have people from all 50 states, all ages and
all walks of life. We can do this! (We already have a group coming from Hawaii.)
It is a small thing to ask for the Lord and the future of this nation. Help us sound
the alarm. Even if you absolutely cannot attend, spread the word. Send this
email to everyone you know.
I hope to see you in Poplar Buff, Missouri, as together we answer the call
and cry out for mercy and awakening. Here is a final quote from Joel that states
what I am believing for, not just through this gathering, but because of the many
prayers and the true repentance that I believe will take place in the coming days
in our land:
At that, God went into action to get His land back. He took pity on His
people. (Joel 2:18; The Message)
May it be so, Lord!
For awakening and reformation,
Dutch Sheets