A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool#cite_note-]

Have you ever stared at a whirlpool swirling in a large body of water, such as a river? They are interesting to watch–especially when something gets caught in the whirlpool and keeps going ‘round and ‘round. 

The family in Nazareth sat around it every night, not knowing that it was a unique table. Handcrafted years earlier when Jesus was a carpenter, it was a centre piece of the home, where Shabbat was celebrated, hearts were open, lessons were taught, joy was shared. The family didn’t know its history, but heaven saw. Heaven smiled.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.― Friedrich Nietzsche

In early February of 1994, the youth pastor of our church in Barrie had returned from the revival meetings in Toronto that had begun January 20th. I had heard from someone in our church that during the meeting he had become immobilized. Supposedly, he couldn’t move at all for a very long period of time. When I heard this, I was more than skeptical. I had seen people be “slain in the spirit” before, falling over under God’s power, and it had happened to me several times, but I had never heard of people being frozen, so I criticized it and dismissed it as not possible.

We are seated in heavenly places… what does that mean?

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Eph 2:6

What are the implications of being seated in heavenly realms, or heavenly places? For one, it changes how we pray. Here’s a story from Franklyn Spence in his book, The Point of the Spear.

Let me tell you a story. Years ago, when we were pastoring our house church in the Montreal area, one couple in our church was having marital problems. We assembled an intercession prayer group to meet at my house. Before long, we were all praying out loud and pacing intensely around the room. We were really getting into it!

When it was my turn to pray, I was charged up like a freight train. I put everything into that prayer. I distinctly remember God interrupting me right in the middle of what I thought was a pretty great prayer and he said, “You’re praying in the wrong direction.”

I was shocked and confused. ‘What do you mean?” I asked.

“You’re praying from earth towards heaven but you should be praying from heaven towards earth,” the Lord answered.
I remember being so shocked by the truth of this statement that I couldn’t continue. I shared what I had heard with the rest of our group and we all sat in stunned silence for a moment. Then this euphoria hit us – we had just been given a key to a beautiful kingdom! It was a correction from the Lord which elevated us to a whole new level of understanding regarding prayer and intercession and our role in it.

There are many ways to pray. When we know we are seated with Him in heaven, our prayers change. We are instructed to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is heaven.” But how can we pray His will be done unless we know His will? Knowing His will comes from knowing His word and also by being in His presence, looking and listening. I will often take the time to see myself seated in heaven, being aware of the Lord’s presence. Many times I will get revelations that are completely different than what I could possibly think up. A good prayer is simply, “Lord what’s on Your heart for me to pray about?” From that place comes revelation about what is on His heart, and what His will is. My prayers then are different.  My “from heaven towards earth” prayers, as the Lord told Franklyn, are then very different from petition prayers. Both are good. Both are necessary

We invite you to join us Wednesdays at 7:30 at Jeff and Cheryl’s home, for intercession. Most weeks we offer both an in-person option and also a ZOOM option. Some weeks we zoom only. We also meet on Parliament Hill from time to time. Whatever location and whatever mode, consider joining us as we look to intercede from heaven to earth. If you would like weekly reminders with Wednesday Intercession details, please contact sharon.remmerswaal@catchthefire.com, and ask her to add you to the Wednesday Intercession email list.

Written by Jeff Duncan

For years the phrase, “Seek His face” was only a metaphor to me. To me, seeking His face implied being fervent and passionate. To really seek the face of God meant hours of intense prayer. But what if to seek His face meant to seek His face? 

Written by Jeff Duncan

At the Everyday Angels seminar two weeks ago, Charity Kayembe gave a significant insight into Jesus’ commission to the disciples: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

Charity pointed out what a witness is: one who has seen something. Many years ago, I witnessed a car accident. A car ran off the road and…

Written by Jeff Duncan

In his book Angels, Billy Graham tells the story told by Reverend John G. Paton, a missionary in the South Pacific in the New Hebrides Islands. 

One night Paton and his wife were threatened by hostile natives who surrounded their mission headquarters, planning to burn the Patons out and kill them. They prayed throughout the night asking God to protect them from harm. When daylight came, they were amazed that the warriors had left without attacking them.

Written by Jeff Duncan

My friend Paul was a long-haul transport driver for Home Hardware. Several years ago, while driving through a blizzard in the Alberta Rockies, he found himself fatigued, to the point that he began to drift into sleep. He pulled to the side of the road to rest. He was so drowsy that he didn’t realize the truck was still moving. After a short time, the big transport lurched to a halt, and he was jolted awake at the shock. He cried out to the Lord, “Oh Lord help me!”

Written by Jeff Duncan

“Thus sayeth the Lord…” It was the first time I had ever heard a prophetic word. And it was in King James English! God speaks King James English?! I found it hard to believe. Was this the God I knew? I had been on edge for many reasons in this meeting. This was many years ago, when as a teenager, I joined Cheryl’s family for some meetings that were very outside the box of my experience. People were raising their hands, worshipping with a passion I had never seen before. There was energy in the room, or was it my mixture of fear and uncertainty because it was all new? I wasn’t sure, but I knew that there was something real here. And God was speaking! It made me hungry for more, even if God spoke King James English!

Written by Jeff Duncan

For those who had the privilege of being with us Palm Sunday, wasn’t it an amazing time of worship with our children at the front waving palm branches? So good! We had a glimpse of what it would have been like as Jesus entered Jerusalem. The simplicity of a child’s worship! With all that is happening in the world today, we may be asking ourselves, “What are we to do?” We have our answer. God painted a picture for us: Worship!

Written by Jeff Duncan

For those who had the privilege of being with us Palm Sunday, wasn’t it an amazing time of worship with our children at the front waving palm branches? So good! We had a glimpse of what it would have been like as Jesus entered Jerusalem. The simplicity of a child’s worship! With all that is happening in the world today, we may be asking ourselves, “What are we to do?” We have our answer. God painted a picture for us: Worship!

Written by Jeff Duncan

We need the word of the Lord in these days of shaking. As the Lord instructed us in 1 Cor. 14:1 we should “desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” Prophecy is a gift, but are we willing to accept prophecy in the package that it comes in? Often, we aren’t. There was a time when I wasn’t.

Written by Jeff Duncan

I heard a statistic this week about the high percentage of Canadians who have anxiety because of the upheaval around us. However, we as believers can be encouraged when we focus on what is most important. We can get encouragement from a significant prophecy that David Ruis gave at the Catch the Fire conference in October of 1994. This was the height of the revival, where many were saved, healed and empowered. People would line up at church for hours in order to get a good seat. People came from around the world, making it the number one tourist attraction in Toronto. God’s power was so intense that many were overcome for hours on end. Hotels that hosted conference guests had guests strewn out in the lobby under the power of God. Hotel staff would avoid conference attendees in fear that it was contagious. And it was. 

Written by Jeff Duncan

If you missed last week’s message from Franklyn Spence, I would highly recommend you consider listening to it: (Franklyn Spence Sunday Service.) Franklyn’s story of meeting with old order Mennonites in the Mt. Forest area is a remarkable story. Having heard that miracles were happening in Franklyn’s ministry, they arranged a hidden late-night meeting with him, in the fear of others in their community shunning them if their meeting was discovered. After going to extensive efforts to hide their meeting, they asked the question, "Is it true that miracles are happening?”

Written by Jeff Duncan

English is so full of idioms. It’s no wonder that it can be a difficult language to master. Just this week, I was journaling and telling the Lord that I felt “out of sorts.” I became curious about the etymology of this idiom and found out that in the 17th century, sorts were the names that typographers used for the letters that were manually inserted into the printing presses. To be out of sorts, meant not having all that is needed.

Written by Jeff Duncan

One of the most compelling biblical stories is the story of Gideon. When the Israelites were being oppressed by their neighbouring nation, a young man Gideon was visited by an angel who addressed him as “mighty warrior” and called him to lead Israel to rescue them from their oppressors. Gideon responded with understandable skepticism, saying “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Written by Ian McLean

Have you ever felt like God was taking too long? Like His promises were delayed, and you were left waiting in the silence? Joseph’s story is a profound reminder that God’s timing is never late but always perfect. From the time Joseph dreamed of leadership to the moment he stood before Pharaoh as Egypt’s second-in-command, there were long, painful years of waiting. Those years must have felt confusing—betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and unjustly imprisoned. Yet, in all those moments, God was working.

Written by Jeff Duncan

With the American presidential inauguration, it may well be that Canada will find itself with 25% tariffs on our U.S. exports. This has many concerned on both sides of the border.

Last week as we fasted and prayed for our nation, I was led to Genesis 26 where we find the story of Isaac and his relationship with the Philistine King, Abimelek. It was a difficult time, a time of famine, but two neighbours: Issac with his wealthy family, and Abimelek, made a peaceful treaty that resulted in blessing. As I read this, it seemed to me that this passage had similarities to U.S./Canadian history and indicated God’s intention for the future.

Written by Jeff Duncan

The message of Christmas is that the Saviour born to the world came to rule and reign in justice. His rule means victory over sickness and death, and freedom from oppression and injustice. And He invites us as co-labourers to join Him as He does this. This past Sunday Beula gave us practical ways we can do this as she preached from the well-known scripture Matt 18:18. We can understand this scripture in a new light

Written by Jeff Duncan

As Christmas passes and we survey the new year, in our reflections as Christians looking ahead, we often ask, “What do I want to do in the church this year?” Buckminster Fuller, the creator of the geodesic dome for Expo 67 and a solid Christian, suggested that a better question would be, “What does God want done?” In posing that question we move from the finite into the infinite. It causes us to sit with it, marinate with it, meditate on it, before hazarding an answer.