this is i think the heart of God re: leaders who stumble (and fall):
(it's long bcse the last half is part of ez: 37 written out)

Operation Prayer Watch- November 2006
Jeff and Kathi Pelton
Nov 8, 2006

This past week I was in the capital city of Canada, Ottawa. While I was there the sad news of the accusations against Ted Haggard were released in the media. I was in Ottawa with a group of intercessory leaders and the news deeply affected each of us, even those of us who had never been connected with him in any way. Our hearts were deeply grieved with both compassion for the Haggard family, his church family and for the body of Christ.

The next day, after hearing the news and accusations, we were meeting together again to pray. As we began to pray we saw ourselves going into a place in the Spirit where we saw a massive fire burning. The fire was being stoked and getting hotter and hotter. As we continued to see this fire before us, I looked and saw long tongs being lifted out of the fire holding a red hot coal. There was an inscription on the tongs that said, "Mercy triumphs over judgment."

The Spirit of God began to speak to us about how He was inviting His people into the Holy of Holies to place the burning coal to our lips that would purify His children's lips and their hearts with a pure mercy. As we gave the Spirit of the Lord permission to touch our lips with this coal we experienced a level of the fear of the Lord that most of us had not known before. The fear of the Lord began to posture us in a new way in our intercession for His body. Any places of judgment toward those who have fallen or stumbled was replaced with a mercy that triumphed over that judgment. We became keenly aware of the grace of God and the fact that "all have fallen short" of His glory. In a moment, the news and accusation regarding Ted Haggard became very personal and no longer was separate from any of us. It was now intimately personal. It became so personal that it was hard to bare. We began to weep and travail for mercy and grace.

As we were in this place of weeping I was reminded of a prophetic picture that a dear friend and intercessor had recently sent to me. It was regarding a set of conjoined twins born in British Columbia on Rosh Hashanah this year. These two baby girls were born connected at the head. The interesting thing was that when the doctors gave one twin a pacifier the other twin was soothed or when they tickled one, the other twin responded. What one twin did affected the other twin. This is what we were experiencing in our intercession, what happened to one in the body of Christ was affecting all who are joined with him at the Head (Christ). No longer was he alone in the sin, the accusation or the need for mercy and deliverance...we all were. His sorrow was ours, his sin was ours, and his victory will be ours as God allows us to overcome this as a corporate body.

This article is not about the accusations facing Ted Haggard in the United States but rather about the sense that as we have passed into this Jewish New Year we are being repositioned into a unity and corporate-ness of the body of Christ that God is calling us to embrace. This repositioning joins us in ways we have not experienced before. Just as with the conjoined twins, what one did affected the other. Therefore, there is a greater place of weeping with those who weep or rejoicing with those who rejoice. This posture breaks down denominational walls, prejudices, judgments, and elitism. It means that when the body of Christ in the U.S. weeps... the body in Canada weeps; or when the body of Christ in Canada rejoices that the body in the U.S. rejoices (or any other nation). It joins us by the Spirit, not just by familiarity of denominations or nations. It creates true "family". This is the "greater love" and more excellent way to live.

Pray for the family of God to embrace true unity by coming into a new posture of allowing the Lord to lay the burdens or victories that another is facing upon us corporately. Obviously we cannot do that with every person and every situation but we must accept this coal from the altar of God to purify us with mercy that triumphs over judgment.

It is as if we are saying yes to the Lord as Ezekiel did in chapter 37 when he had the vision of the dry bones. He prophesied and saw the joining of the nerves, the muscles, the tendons on the dry bones. Read Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 37 and begin to declare the words that the Lord asks Ezekiel to declare. I feel that this is a year when we will see the sinews and flesh restored to the dry bones.

Ezekiel 37: 4-10 reads,
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. And He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, {there were} very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, {they were} very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, Thou knowest."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 'And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'"

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'"

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (end)

Also, read Zechariah 3. In these verses we see Jeshua the High Priest being accused by Satan. The Lord commands the angel to begin to change his filthy priestly garments and restores the righteous priesthood. These verses also speak to this new year and although we may see great accusation (both true and false) during this year we will also see God removing the filthy garments and restoring a righteous priesthood.

Zechariah 3:1-10 reads,
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."

Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by. And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'If you will walk in My ways, and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing {here.}

'Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you-- indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. 'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

'In that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'every one of you will invite his neighbor to {sit} under {his} vine and under {his} fig tree.'" (end)

Pray through these verses for the body of Christ. It is a time to go very low (humble ourselves) and allow the shifts and alignments to come upon us as a corporate body of Christ. Just as we have passed into a new year, we are passing also into a new positioning and authority.

In Christ,
Kathi Pelton
jkpelton@sbcglobal.net