DIRECTOR'S PEN

Pharaos vs Fathers

2010-05-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Ani and I to all of you. We write with sincere apologies for the lack of correspondence over the last several months. As God has been rending the Heavens over Mexico so He has been piercing our hearts in depths we have never known before. We find ourselves weeping unlike any other time in our lives. Some moments, it seems almost too much to bear. We have felt the heart of God before, but this is different. In this hour, it no longer is just a King overcoming the forces of evil, but a Father searching for His broken children. The Father’s love is being awakened again amongst the hearts of His people. Whereas once we counted some as just “casualties of war” we now fall to our knees for their lives. These children, though broken and disheveled, need to be shown what they have, but even more importantly, who they have. Many have never known a true father’s love or touch. They have wandered as battered orphans for way too long. Now is the time for us to embrace them as our own and show them the love of a father.

God has graciously reminded us recently of His final words in the Old Testament; His desire to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers (Mal. 4:6). That has become the earnest cry of our hearts. We have traveled many miles throughout Mexico sharing this crucial message. Not only is God calling young and old to repent, but He is also reviving and confirming love and unity between generations. By bringing them closer and fastening them together, He is uniting them all unto Himself. This unity amongst fathers and children is what will help usher in the Kingdom of God and prepare us all for the perils that are to come. We must step out and embrace the prodigals. Are we as desperate to love them as they are to be loved? They have understood the rage and rejection of an errant earthly father, but now is the hour that they experience the unconditional love and acceptance a child deserves. It is our mandate and obligation as men and women of God to give them this.

I have a very dear friend, David Ravenhill, who wrote a book called Surviving the Anointing. Within in it, he created a list called “Pharaohs vs. Fathers.” I have listed it below to show the immense contrast between what these children have experienced and what they desperately need.

Pharaohs vs Fathers_

Pharaohs have slaves------- Fathers have sons

Pharaohs command---------- Fathers counsel

Pharaohs dominate----------- Fathers liberate

Pharaohs dictate------------- --Fathers communicate

Pharaohs destroy and demean ----- Fathers discipline

Pharaohs remove -------------Fathers restore

Pharaohs restrain -------------Fathers release

Pharaohs manipulate --------Fathers motivate

Pharaohs emasculate------- Fathers propagate

Pharaohs whip------------------ Fathers weep

Pharaohs want results------- -Fathers want relationship

Pharaohs build great cities--- Fathers build great sons

Pharaohs are hardhearted---- Fathers are tenderhearted

Pharaohs fear success--------- Fathers foster success

Pharaohs want servants------- Fathers are servants

Pharaohs prey on slaves---- -Fathers pray for sons

Slaves die for pharaohs------ -Fathers die for sons

Slaves work out of fear-------- -Sons work out of faith

Slaves work out of duty-------- -Sons work out of devotion

Slaves remain slaves---------- -Sons develop into fathers

Slaves loathe pharaohs------- -Sons love fathers

Slaves are discouraged------- -Sons are encouraged

Slaves receive reproof--------- -Sons receive approval

Slaves grow to hate and hurt--- Sons grown to heal and help

Slaves have numbers------------ Sons have names

Slaves celebrate a ----------------Sons commiserate a

pharaoh’s death ---------------------father’s death

Slaves escape ----------------------Sons return

Slaves sigh ----------------------------Sons sing

The prayer of both Ani and I is that each one of you may be challenged to search within yourselves. We must rise up in these last days, not just as warriors but also as fathers and mothers to the thousands of orphans and prodigals. They are desperate to not only find their way home but to find loving parents when they get there. We need to remind ourselves that even though we serve a King, He is first a loving Father. May we not overlook that our key objective must be to stand as fathers and mothers. We are here to serve and love as our gracious Savior so beautifully demonstrated. Positions of authority come and go, but the love of a father and mother is eternal. For love has, is, and forever will be the greatest force in all the universe.

Special thanks to Molly VanHeel for the writing of this newsletter.

PROPHETIC VISION

2009-01-29T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hello again! 2009 is off to an accelerated start, and for me it is not only a new year but a whole new opportunity. As 2008 came to a close I had an experience that put everything in a new perspective. This is the story as written by Nancy Ravenhill:

On December 4th 2008 Robert drove to the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Dallas, Texas so that he could have a biopsy done on his prostate. After this procedure on Thursday, Robert noticed a slight discomfort, but figured it was normal and so he returned to his home in East Texas. Two days later, on Saturday the 6th, he began to hemorrhage profusely. Ani drove Robert back to the VA Hospital in Dallas because of the amount of blood he was losing, When he got to the hospital, he was given a bed pan, and he filled it with blood. For some reason, in spite of this, the Dr. told Robert that is was normal and that he should go home and get some rest, so they drove back, and arrived home around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Before he went to bed, he had several more large amounts of blood discharges. He knew it was not normal, but hoped if he lay still it would stop. He fell asleep only to wake up an hour later to go to the bathroom, and as he got up, he passed out on the floor. Ani heard him fall and quickly ran to see what had happened. She found him unconscious and in a pool of blood on the floor. As she tried to lift Robert up, his eyes rolled back into his head and he began to convulse. She was suddenly terrified and quickly dialed 911, telling the dispatcher to call an ambulance.
By this time it was 6:00 a.m. and Robert was semi conscious. He remembers, however, the trip to Tyler in the ambulance. He felt himself floating upward and could see his own body in the ambulance bed getting smaller and smaller. He knew he must be dying, but also knew he had no control over what was happening to him. Even though he was surprised that he could look down on his body, he did not resist the experience in any way. Everything that was happening was beyond his control and there was nothing he could do.
Ani was following the ambulance and was crying out to God. A prayer deep within her screamed, “Lord, I know you love Robert, and I know he probably wants to go with you, but please don’t take him yet. I still need him, and our family needs him”. Suddenly Robert felt himself return to his body in the ambulance, and miraculously at that moment the bleeding stopped. The ambulance pulled up at Trinity Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler, Texas, and they took Robert inside directly to an emergency room. After an examination and some blood work, it was discovered that his blood count had dropped from 14.2 to 9.1, a very significant amount of blood loss. The Dr. decided to perform a colonoscopy the following day. They found out that a vein in his colon had been cut during the biopsy, and they put a clip on it even though the bleeding had stopped. He stayed in the hospital for three days where he was given the option to receive a blood transfusion, or go home and build up his own blood through rest and a high protein diet. Robert chose to go home after being informed that there was a slight chance of incurring hepatitis C or even AIDS with the transfusion, a risk he was not willing to take. He has been recovering steadily, and his blood count is increasing daily, but he remains weak and tired. He knows that the healing process will take time.

A few days later, as he was recuperating at home, he got an very interesting phone call from Molly Harrison, a young woman from Minneapolis who is a dear friend of the family. She related to him a vision she had seen while she was praying one evening. This is the vision as told by Molly:

“I saw what looked like as a type of deliberation room. The Lord was at the front, sitting in some kind of judge’s chair. Many of His angels were assembled beside Him, all looking extremely serious. As they looked toward the other side of the room, in walked Satan and some of his subordinates. They approached the Lord with some caution, but also with confidence. The Lord asked them why they had come before Him. Satan began to speak. ‘I have come about Robert Duran. I would like to discuss with you the reasons for allowing his life to end at this point’. The Lord spoke back, “what evidence or reasoning do you have for me to make a decision such as this?’ Satan answered, ‘well, he is getting older. There are many younger ones who could now take his place’. The Lord again spoke back, ‘the faithfulness and effectiveness my servant has is not based upon his age, but rather his love for me. In fact, it works quite the opposite. Every year that he gets older, his passion and zeal to see my kingdom established grows stronger. His desire to know Me more has become more and more evident in his later years. So, my dear accuser, age does not work in your favor’. Satan, who now seemed much more frustrated, came back with yet another indictment. ‘I have noticed that his heart seems to be wounded. This may prove to be quite a problem in the future as it shows possible weakness in his life and maybe a lack of strength to overcome punches by those he is acquainted with. Once again, I request for him to be replaced’. The Lord, who already knew what he was going to say, smiled and spoke back. ‘When I create a heart for someone it is whole, but firm. As their journey continues in their relationship with me, they will inevitably go through hurts and struggles. Their heart will get ‘punched’ many times, but that is why I created the heart the way I did. The more it is punched, the more it is tenderized. The firmness fades away and only warmth and sensitivity remains. His heart has been wounded many times, but through those experiences his heart has now become soft and yielding.’ Satan, growing more frustrated and angry, was once again going to rebuttal, but then a loud noise was heart throughout the courtroom. Upon hearing this noise, Satan and his followers plugged their ears and buckled to the floor. The Lord and those assembled beside Him made no movement. They had heart this sound before. Satan asked aloud, ‘what is that noise???’ One of his followers whispered back, ‘I think that’s Robert’s wife’. Satan, more determined than ever, stood back up and began to speak again. The noise, however, seemed to grow louder and louder until pieces of the walls and ceiling where Satan was standing began to crumble on to him. On the other side of the room where the Lord and the angels were, everything was intact and in order. Satan screamed, ‘make it stop! Make the noise stop!’ The noise only grew more intense. The Lord looked at him and smiled. ‘It looks like we have come to a verdict’. He then raised his mallet and slammed it down. “Case closed, my servant lives.”

What has Robert learned from this life-changing experience? The first thing is the importance of Intercessory prayer, and how powerful it is. Secondly, he never thought before this that his life was so important that it would be discussed in the courtroom of heaven between Satan and the Lord. Thirdly, Robert told us, “It’s amazing to think that the devil would actually make a bid for me! Lastly, Robert told us: “It’s exciting to know that God would actually argue over me. That to me is an exciting and beautiful thought.”
When talking about the power of prayer later, David and Robert agreed that prayer must come from a person’s heart. It is not what we say, but the way we say it. Ani was not saying anything right. She cried from her heart – and God heard and answered. Robert said “I’m just so grateful to be around”. Think of the heart ache it would have caused my family if I had died just before Christmas”.

My husband, David, reminded Robert that ‘Satan is the accuser of the brethren’. Revelation 12:10 states ” …for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night”. Zechariah 3:3 reminds us “now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel….take away the filthy garments from him…I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with a change of raiment.” We read that God defended Joshua. In the book of Job chapter one, verse six we read “now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them...” Verse 8 states “and the Lord said unto Satan, Have you considered my servant, Job….then Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for nothing?” Bidding for men’s lives happens in the courtrooms of heaven. Job lost everything he had on Earth, but won the battle. Job 42:12 completes his story with “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning….”
May this scripture also declare Robert Duran’s testimony for the next twenty years: “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Robert more than his beginning….”

INTRODUCTION

2009-01-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased that after so much time and hard work, we finally have uploaded a web page for Cueva de Adulam ministries!, I am aware that we live in a time where communication has been revolutionized by the internet, and I am happy to be able to be in touch with you through this webpage. I hope you all enjoy it, and I just want to let you know that we are open to any suggestions that you may have to improve it.
We are all influenced to some degree by men and women who impact us; through their lives, and sometimes through their writings. We are living in a day and age in which society in which book reading is becoming a lost art, but I would like to encourage all of you to cultivate good reading habits since great men and women of God have left us their writings as a timeless heritage through which they can continue to impact future generations even after they have parted.
Personally, there are two men in particular who have had a huge impact on my life, and to whom I attribute a great part of my Christian formation. One of them, A.W. Tozer went to be with the Lord before I could have the honor of meeting him personally, but his books have been instrumental in guiding and helping me in my walk with the Lord. I strongly recommend any A.W. Tozer book, and I can guarantee it will change your life. The other man, whom I did have the honor of knowing in person, and whose life was always a challenge for me to live up to, was Leonard Ravenhill. He was a man who, although rejected by many during his lifetime, is accepted by many as a prophetic voice to the Church after his death.
I was recalling my early years as a Christian, and how Brother Ravenhill held a prayer meeting every Monday afternoon. I faithfully attended these meetings every Monday, and just hearing him pray somehow made me feel closer to God. One day, I opted to go fishing and missed the prayer meeting. I saw Brother Ravenhill a few days later, and he said, “I missed you at the prayer meeting, Robert.” I apologized and explained that I had gone fishing. He just smiled a funny little smile and answered, “Oh, that’s ok, Peter went fishing too!” Then he paused for an instant before continuing, “When he was backslidden!”
We are living in a time when there are many so called prophets, but in reality true prophets are very scarce. In the prologue of his book “Why Revival Tarries” Brother Ravenhill’s good friend A.W. Tozer wrote this regarding true prophets.

A.W. TOZER on TRUE PROPHETS

Great industrial concerns have in their employ men who are needed only when there is a breakdown somewhere. When something goes wrong with the machinery, these men spring into action to locate and remove the trouble and get the machinery rolling again. For these men a smoothly operating system has no interest. They are specialists concerned with trouble and how to find and correct it. In the kingdom of God things are not too different. God has always had His specialists whose chief concern has been the moral breakdown, the decline in the spiritual health of the nation or the church. Such men were Elijah, Jeremiah, Malachi and others of their kind who appeared at critical moments in history to reprove, rebuke and exhort in the name of God and righteousness. A thousand or ten thousand ordinary priests or pastors or teachers could labor quietly on almost unnoticed while the spiritual life of Israel or the church was normal. But let the people of God go astray from the paths of truth and immediately the specialist appeared almost out of nowhere. His instinct for trouble brought him to the help of the Lord and of Israel. Such a man was likely to be drastic, radical, possibly at times violent, and the curious crowd that gathered to watch him work soon branded him as extreme, fanatical, negative. And in a sense they were right. He was single-minded, severe, fearless, and these were the qualities the circumstances demanded. He shocked some, frightened others and alienated not a few, but he knew who had called him and what he was sent to do. His ministry was geared to the emergency, and that fact marked him out as different, a man apart. To such men as this the church owes a debt too heavy to pay. The curious thing is that she seldom tries to pay him while he lives, but the next generation builds his sepulcher and writes his biography, as if instinctively and awkwardly to discharge an obligation the previous generation to a large extent ignored...

[-From the Foreword to Leonard Ravenhill's "Why Revival Tarries".]

These men and their writings have made a huge impression on me as a young man, and now also impact the Cueva de Adulam Ministry. In no way do we think we are exclusive, but we know that our calling is to raise up a generation of young people that will affect the world with radical lives full of integrity, bearing the message that transformed the world in the first century.
“The generation that the world could change, will change the world”