It is understandable that almost everyone in the U.S. is now very focused on the tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina. It is a tragedy that will touch us all in many ways and will continue to unfold over the weeks and months ahead. Even so, the end result is that we are going to be much better and much stronger as a nation. The Gulf Coast region will also emerge better than ever, and stronger.
Even so, we were not prepared for this as a nation, and we do need to learn the lessons that this situation is going to teach us. As this plays out it will prove to have been even more deadly and devastating than almost anyone imagined, even though it is already perceived to be the worst natural disaster in our history. Even so, it could have been worse, and the end result will be to help us.
I have been asked often if anyone in our ministry or our prophetic friends foresaw Hurricane Katrina. The answer is “yes,” as early as 1998. These prophecies included “New Orleans looking like an estuary,” and great damage coming to Mobile and all parts in-between. As hard as this could be to imagine now, the end result of this storm will be to make even many of the Gulf Coast victims thankful for it in the end.
Over the next few years a great move of God will spread over that region, and many who have lost all of their possessions will gain something far better—eternal life. This storm is a sign of a great cleansing and very powerful move of God coming to that region which will affect the whole nation for good. We will also see it affecting us in more difficult ways for a time—especially economically. However, the region will be rebuilt and better than before, but much more than physically, it will be rebuilt spiritually. There is a great move of God to rebuild our nation spiritually as well.
Though there are many crucial lessons to be learned from this entire situation, it is not the time to get into them in any more depth. Now it is still a rescue situation, and we need to pray that this now be accomplished with Godspeed or many, many more could be lost.
One reason the situation has not been handled better is the spirit of confusion that has been released over that region. We know that we do not war against flesh and blood (see Ephesians 6:12), though we cannot expect the government and law enforcement agencies to understand this. There is a lot of witchcraft coming from New Orleans and it wants to cause as much death as possible. We need to pray for this spirit of confusion to be bound, and for great clarity and energy to be given to those who are managing and implementing the lifesaving efforts. Then we need to pray for great clarity and energy to rebuild that city and region. This is important for the whole nation.
The church needs to gear up to help in many ways. Churches are called sanctuaries, and we need to be that right now for these multitudes who have virtually lost everything they had. If every church just took one family, we could take care of all of the people. There are churches all over America with large Sunday School facilities that only get used one half a day a week. These can be quickly converted to shelters for families.
We are also at this time examining every way that we can use the facilities that we have at Heritage International Ministries to help those in need. We need to all be asking right now what we have that could help. Many things that we no longer use and will never use again, such as old clothes, tools, vehicles, or other resources can make a big difference in the lives of those who are our neighbors and are now in desperate need.
If you want to help, but do not know what to do, please consider joining us. We will be sending teams to the region to assist in the cleanup and rebuilding.
You may also make donations to MorningStar for the Katrina relief. One hundred percent of the donations designated for Hurricane Katrina relief will go to that effort. MorningStar does not keep a single cent for administration or our own costs. You can also donate materials such as trucks, buses, tools such as chain saws, power saws, building materials, and other items that can be used to help in this effort.
To make a credit card donation, donate online or call 1-800-542-0278 and say you want to make a donation for the Katrina Relief. You may also mail your donation (please mark them for Disaster Relief Fund/DRF) to:
MorningStar Fellowship Church
P.O. Box 440
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Attn: Accounting/DRF
There is no question now that this will prove to be the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history. We need to be in special prayer for all who are leading this relief effort and for the people who are affected that this will all be used for good, and for us to learn all of the lessons that we can from this situation so that we are far more prepared the next time.