Lichinga, MozambiqueSunday, April 25, 2010
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A Word from God for the City of Lichinga
So when we arrived to Lichinga, Mozambique last September, all of the missionaries at the IRIS Ministries base laid hands on us to pray for us. Many prophesied over us, giving words to us each individually. One of the missionaries, Tyren, said that God was going to give me a word for the city of Lichinga. At that time, I sort of cataloged it, thinking, “Who am I that God would give me a word for an entire city?” Yet for the past seven months, I have just pondered this, wondering if God was really going to give me a word for Lichinga. After I received this prophecy from Tyren, I thought back to a time of prayer we were having with Bogdan and Gosia before we left Poland for Africa, and remembering a prophecy that Bogdan had given me. He had said that he saw me like Aaron, with an ephod on my chest. And just like the priest’s ephod had twelve precious stones in it, God was going to give me twelve cities in my life and ministry, and that Piotrkow-Trybunalski was one of them. Not knowing what it meant that God was going to “give me cities,” I realize now that in different cities He will bring me to, God is going to give me words or revelations about those cities, or perhaps regions that will be very significant in the spiritual realm and have eternal implications.
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The Lord began to reveal to me this word for the city of Lichinga as I was just studying the Yao language. Come to find out, the word, “Lichinga,” is actually a Yao word that means, “a place where goats are kept.” As I learned this, God began revealing His truths to me about the city. He took me to Matthew 25:31-46, which speaks about how God will separate the sheep from the goats on the day of judgment. The sheep on the right side are those who saw real needs in people’s lives and met them, whereas the goats where people who saw real needs in people’s lives and decided not to prefer others before themselves, passing the needy people by. Jesus said that it was the least of these who was in need of a drink, in need of food, without clothes, sick and in prison, and that helping or not helping the least of these was like helping or not helping Jesus Himself. The eternal destination of the sheep is heaven while the eternal destination of the goats is hell.
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I don’t know why Lichinga got its’ name. Perhaps the person who named it saw a lot of goats around and named it accordingly. But I believe through revelation that there is more to it than that. Nearly every time I go to the bank to withdraw money from the ATM machine in Lichinga, at least one Mozambican cuts in front of me and sticks his card in before I can, even though I had been waiting for a long time. Cultural? Perhaps, but definitely not preferring one another before themselves. Let’s take the central market as well. Whenever I want to go but a flat of eggs from the central market, the sellers lined up nearly fight with each other to sell me their eggs. I always buy the eggs that I can get for the best price. But I have never seen one of the sellers say to another, “Look my brother. I have already sold three flats of eggs this morning and you have sold none. Why don’t you take the business of this white man?” Never, not once have I seen this happen. I could tell plenty more stories just like these. The key here is that you don’t see people preferring one another over themselves. Or if they do, it is because they believe they will have bad luck if they don’t. I know that there are exceptions, but Lichinga, at a glance spiritually looks like a place where goats are kept; a place where people only care about themselves and not others. If you take it even further, the place where goats are kept for eternity is literally, hell. So in a sense, you could say that Lichinga is “hell on earth,” or at least that would be Satan’s plan for the city of Lichinga.
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It is interesting that in Matthew 25:32 that all the nations are gathered before God and that He will separate them, the nations, one from another. When Jesus was on earth he spoke to entire cities, saying to them that if the wonders that had been done in them would have been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented. Jesus said it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for the cities He was speaking to. I know that each person will give an account of their own life before God one day as well, but Scripture clearly states that cities and nations will be judged as well. God then began to bring me to the lives of people like Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezra, who after they realized what a bad state the nation of Israel was in, fell on their faces and repented, not only for their own sins, but for the sins of the entire nation. God was planning on pouring out his judgment on Israel, yet because of one man’s contrition and public repentance on behalf of a nation, God would avert his wrath. Others would then catch on and join in this repentance for nation. It comes down to this: Are we humble enough to take the responsibility of the sins of our city, nation or ethnic group? What would happen if one, or two or a group of people fell on their faces before the living God in repentance of a city or a nation? Scripture says, “Can a nation be saved in one day?” I say, “Yes.” And if a nation can be saved in one day, why not a city, and why not the city of Lichinga?
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Even though Satan’s plan for Lichinga is for it to remain a place where goats are kept; where people don’t help the needy and don’t prefer each other over themselves. Satan’s plan for Lichinga is to be hell on earth, yet God wants to turn everything around. God’s plan for Lichinga is for it to become a place where sheep are kept; where people have compassion for and help the needy and where people prefer others over themselves. God’s plan for Lichinga is to be heaven on earth. How can this happen? By taking our cues from the heroes of the faith who have gone before us. By falling on our faces and publically repenting for the sins of the city of Lichinga, for the sins of the Yao people and for the sins of the nation of Mozambique. Only then will God’s wrath be averted. Only then will change begin to take place. This repentance will need to take place at different levels of society as well. As you travel through Lichinga and its’ various suburbs, you literally see goats everywhere…I mean the animals. I believe that as a prophetic act, that the people of Lichinga should raise sheep instead, for milk and meat.
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This was God’s word to me for the City of Lichinga. Like I wrote in a blog post earlier this month, I first gave this word at the prison, where everyone present fell on their faces before God in repentance for the sins of Lichinga. Tonight, at the City Church that our IRIS Ministry base leaders planted at the beginning of this year, I also gave this word. And everyone present got on their faces as well, publically confessing the sins of Lichinga and repenting on behalf of the city. I could literally feel a shift in the spiritual atmosphere above us as the people prayed. I am enjoying seeing the nations transformed by the blood of Jesus and through the power of His Holy Spirit, one person at a time, then one city, then one nation, and then the world. I am not sure where else I will have an opportunity to share this message in the city of Lichinga, but if you think about it, can you pray for me, that God will give me more opportunities to do so as He sees fit? Thanks. Bless you all.
.
It is interesting that in Matthew 25:32 that all the nations are gathered before God and that He will separate them, the nations, one from another. When Jesus was on earth he spoke to entire cities, saying to them that if the wonders that had been done in them would have been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented. Jesus said it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for the cities He was speaking to. I know that each person will give an account of their own life before God one day as well, but Scripture clearly states that cities and nations will be judged as well. God then began to bring me to the lives of people like Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezra, who after they realized what a bad state the nation of Israel was in, fell on their faces and repented, not only for their own sins, but for the sins of the entire nation. God was planning on pouring out his judgment on Israel, yet because of one man’s contrition and public repentance on behalf of a nation, God would avert his wrath. Others would then catch on and join in this repentance for nation. It comes down to this: Are we humble enough to take the responsibility of the sins of our city, nation or ethnic group? What would happen if one, or two or a group of people fell on their faces before the living God in repentance of a city or a nation? Scripture says, “Can a nation be saved in one day?” I say, “Yes.” And if a nation can be saved in one day, why not a city, and why not the city of Lichinga?
.
Even though Satan’s plan for Lichinga is for it to remain a place where goats are kept; where people don’t help the needy and don’t prefer each other over themselves. Satan’s plan for Lichinga is to be hell on earth, yet God wants to turn everything around. God’s plan for Lichinga is for it to become a place where sheep are kept; where people have compassion for and help the needy and where people prefer others over themselves. God’s plan for Lichinga is to be heaven on earth. How can this happen? By taking our cues from the heroes of the faith who have gone before us. By falling on our faces and publically repenting for the sins of the city of Lichinga, for the sins of the Yao people and for the sins of the nation of Mozambique. Only then will God’s wrath be averted. Only then will change begin to take place. This repentance will need to take place at different levels of society as well. As you travel through Lichinga and its’ various suburbs, you literally see goats everywhere…I mean the animals. I believe that as a prophetic act, that the people of Lichinga should raise sheep instead, for milk and meat.
.
This was God’s word to me for the City of Lichinga. Like I wrote in a blog post earlier this month, I first gave this word at the prison, where everyone present fell on their faces before God in repentance for the sins of Lichinga. Tonight, at the City Church that our IRIS Ministry base leaders planted at the beginning of this year, I also gave this word. And everyone present got on their faces as well, publically confessing the sins of Lichinga and repenting on behalf of the city. I could literally feel a shift in the spiritual atmosphere above us as the people prayed. I am enjoying seeing the nations transformed by the blood of Jesus and through the power of His Holy Spirit, one person at a time, then one city, then one nation, and then the world. I am not sure where else I will have an opportunity to share this message in the city of Lichinga, but if you think about it, can you pray for me, that God will give me more opportunities to do so as He sees fit? Thanks. Bless you all.
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Christian Young
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