By Stephen Bennett

Intimacy with God brings the true dance of intercession, and the true power and glory that can be released through song and sound’  – Stephen Bennett

Her skin was almost liquid milk after many months in the preparation of beauty; heaven was now her scent, a bouquet of endless time. She danced in a slow gesture; at last she was in His chamber. The bride of long patience gazed into the earnest eyes of majesty. He glided around her, effortless, viewing everything with regal intention. Peace embraced the air, love overwhelmed.

Moments were hours and the hours were moments until she was still, waiting like a white swan at rest. Slowly she lifted her head; the glistening crown alighted upon her braided locks. Contentment and tranquillity were now her attendants. She stood serene, every pore exuding radiance. She was now distinct – full of eternity, and an heir of promise. He then touched her shoulder. The blade of a new discernment dwelt in the scepter He gave to her. Her hand ran the edge of the new battle steel. The song played; down she lay in the unending dream. Loss was gain, and her cares were long gone in the bliss of His leading.

Since the 1990’s, global strategic prayer and mature intercession for cities and nations has escalated. There is a concentration of prayer on the earth today unlike anything in history.

It is a governing level of prayer and intercession that has been instrumental in releasing apostolic reform and anointing into the Church. Prayer with this global mindset and focus has released great spiritual momentum in the Body of Christ – as with the extensive growth and influence of Christian music.

This momentum is leading us into governmental, prophetic and apostolic authority in the Church. Music and song must now take its spiritual place of fullness in authority in the Body of Christ. King David prophesied of these days, ”…prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. There will be an abundance of grain (the word) in the earth…all nations shall call Him blessed” (Psalm 72:15b, 16-17). There is a great battle for this by the devil because it’s the time for nations to turn to Jesus Christ – we must pray.

The combination of prayer with praise has developed rapidly in recent times – it is maturing with authority, and power. We are now seeing tens of thousands of believers gathering in football stadiums for prayer and worship events as normal fare. The focus is a call to the cities and nations of the earth – as the word of God, music, prayer, and intercession function together the nations will honor the Lord and be blessed.

Over the years Christian music has been established strongly with evangelistic purpose, teaching God’s word, and an intimacy in worship reflecting the shepherding nature of the Lord. In recent times the expression and purposes of music has become more intimate, prophetic and aggressive, paving the way for the end-time power and glory of God to be released in the earth.

Governing Sounds

Understanding the governing influence of music must increase in the Body of Christ for a great end time purpose; turning the world upside down. The creative nature of music, and its ultimate purpose, is embedded in prophetic and apostolic spirit – this is to have governmental influence over cities and nations. It is time for singers and musicians who carry this anointing, to arise with governing sound in their hearts that comes from heaven. There is a huge spiritual war against this being released.

The devil and his evil strategies have tried to destroy the lives of many artists, and take them away from their calling. It is now your hour to rise again in faith and take hold of your destiny. The world will hear the sound of the Church in one accord with Heaven. Intercession and prayer is standing in the gap for this to happen; musicians and singers must also be ones who have diligence and consecration in their life of prayer.

The words governing, and government relate to apostolic and prophetic terms now being used more widely in the Church today. These are not just buzzwords but Biblical terminology we must understand. The Church is to have governing influence in the spirit world, and on the earth. Governmental people have authority to bring powerful quantum change.

The Lord is calling His whole Church to a much higher apostolic place, where His government is executed through awesome music; sounds which carry and release His grandeur, majesty, and glory that brings immense change to peoples lives. The spirit of prophecy is very strong in this music because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). The mountains in people’s lives will melt away in His presence; healing and deliverance will be common place – the world needs it! We have to live spiritually rich in God’s wisdom to see this release through our music. It requires us to again be diligently close to the Lord that we love and serve.

The Ways of David

In Christ we are ‘kings and priests’; this is a type of apostolic authority (Revelation 1:6). Old Testament kings, such as Hezekiah and young Josiah, brought great change to Israel in their governing position. They walked in the ways of their father David (see 2 Chronicles 29:2 & 34:2).

They were holy rebels against the devil. Consider Hezekiah, ”the Lord was with him and he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. He subdued the Philistines” (2 Kings 18:7-8).

These kings took hold of their authority in the ways of David. They pulled down the idols and demonic strongholds binding their people. They called the people to turn from their evil ways, and bring their hearts back to God. They were a voice of passion: zealous, enforcing, and spiritually energetic. They had emphatic trust in God, and were radical reformers in their time. In music they followed David’s model, and commanded the people to use his words in song, and the words of the prophet Asaph (see 2 Chronicles 29:30).

Hezekiah is a picture of an apostolic reformer. When you walk in this governing anointing things happen fast. This quickening or spiritual shifting will occur in the Church as it transitions into proper divine order. The changes in the world are happening more rapidly now in these end-times, even with each month! ”So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly” (2 Chronicles 29:36). Governmental music from the Church set in order is to have this accelerated authority, glory and power, to influence and bring change. Religious spirits will resist this, old or contemporary.

Increase of His Government

The prophet Isaiah tells us about the governing authority of Jesus in the Church and the throne of power David established through the Tabernacle. This governing authority includes the governing power of music. ”For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

There is a never-ending increase of God’s governing authority for the Church to operate in. Today the Lord is performing this in the apostolic reform of the Body of Christ. We must release this authority through music by faith and revelation – without end-time revelation we will perish in a mediocrity of religion. The authority of Jesus (prophesied in Isaiah) is Davidic in nature, hence the reference to David’s throne. The increase of God’s government is established in apostolic authority; foreshadowed for us through King David’s worshipping life.

The Tabernacle of David in theological terms, is a type, or pattern of the end-time Church. Governmental anointing and power is to be fully released into the world through the Church. ”For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the House of David”(Psalm 122:5).

The divine order, and apostolic spiritual structure of the Church, will accommodate the endless increase of holy government available to it. If you consider the song Moses wrote with Jesus, the manifest judgements of God, are synonymous with the nations coming to worship Christ (Revelation 15:3-4).

Governing authority will bring His judgements and justice to the earth, pushing back spiritual darkness, and releasing the nations to God. We also execute this in the music proclamation and decree of high warring praises, this is part of being spiritually governing and bringing quantum shifts in the spirit (Psalms 149:6-9, Psalm 96:1-3). This authority should be released through the lives of singers and musicians. Why? So all of mankind can seek after God (Acts 15:17).

God’s promise of restoring David’s Tabernacle and the music structure it represents, is part of God’s end-time strategy for the Church. This will commission the Church to her final glorious hour. The apostolic power God wants to release through music cannot be facilitated in many church structures and their current ways of thinking. The reasons for this are often a lack of knowledge, powerless traditions, dullness, worldliness, pride, or an unwillingness to change and move forward with God’s present-day restoration. Could this also be possible with all our contemporary excellence? Consider the church of Sardis, they had a ‘name that you are alive, but you are dead’ (Revelation 3:1).

An apostolic Church should have local and global governing strategies to reach the world. When the increase of governmental authority is fully matured and released through the Church, people in darkness will see great light. A beacon will shine into the deepest valley of death and despair, breaking the heavy burdens of the devil oppressor once and for all. Multitudes will be saved, and wealth will be in the House of God for the good of the nations. The Church will be a gift to humanity, and will increase constantly with great joy. This is the governing Church (Isaiah 9:2-5), people a governmental body of people carrying His glory.

The possibilities of governing power in the Body of Christ that accelerate and shift the Church forward are endless. The phenomenal power of music also has endless governmental capacity for influence through the glory that the Lord wants to release. The responsibility of establishing government sits on the shoulders of our apostolic leader – the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, ”the apostle of our faith” (Hebrews 3:1). We are His Body – to execute governmental authority on the earth by His Spirit – to bring quantum spiritual shifts to cities and nations. He is zealous for it. In obedience: we must do, say, and sing what God says, as Jesus did with the Father on earth. We live in Christ; therefore we must point the way to Him. It’s all about Jesus!

Proclamation and Decree

Singers and musicians must also set musical decree into the spirit with this authority, as did the apostles when they gave decrees to strengthen and release the Church (see Acts 15:22). A local church operating in apostolic authority, decrees and brings accelerated change by the Spirit of God – this is governing action, as it is ”not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord”, (Zechariah 4:6). God intends for us to be His true sons and daughters led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

Our God is omnipotent and massive – He owns everything – we must not hold back. There is no end to our possibilities as we continue to believe, being the co-heirs of all things with Christ (Romans 8:17). What a great and marvelous promise!

The wind of the Holy Spirit is everywhere – for God is omnipotent. The Church is everywhere, for God’s tabernacle is people. It’s ordained of God that we prophesy, sing, proclaim, and declare into the spirit world. Ezekiel the prophet spoke to the wind (the life giving breath of God, see Ezekiel 37:1-14). The world of the spirit was moved, and the sounds of his words accomplished action in the whole House of Israel. The nation revived and became a great army – it happened as Ezekiel spoke. He could have sung as the prophets often did, either way, the appointed voice of the prophet had to be heard, and be connected with the Holy Spirit breath of life.

He was the voice of God’s desire, speaking to the wind as the Lord commanded – it was God’s way. This fusion of human voice and spirit brought change. This prophetic action is a type of the Church functioning in apostolic authority in the end-times – singers and musicians speaking to the wind of cities and nations with the melodies of change.

Worship services (especially in today’s apostolic era) should be an increasing encounter with the manifest presence of the Lord; His glory, and the profound change it brings to our lives should be our experience. As believers we can’t capitulate to being overly casual in our attitudes, or only focus on just being professionally excellent. This can breed arrogance in churches, where again the form ends up taking precedence and denies the release of true power.

”God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him” (Psalm 89:7). 

Error, however subtle, will keep heavens sounds away from the earth; that is why Jesus warned us that the worst Christian deceptions in these end-times are not so obvious. As we get before the Father in prayer and intercession we will hear the sounds of heaven that have the government of God riding in them, and we will watch and marvel at what the Lord does by the Holy Spirit.

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Article first published in ‘Awesome City Global Communications – Newsletter has been reprinted with permission of the author. Based in Australia, Stephen Bennett carries an Apostolic-Prophetic mantle in the area of music and communications.