I Have a Dream

This Thursday (2/7/15) The Salvation Army celebrates 150 years in action. People from all over the world are arriving in London to join the Boundless International Congress in celebration. More articulate people than me have written reams about the wonderful things that God has been doing in and through The Salvation Army over the past century and a half.

However, I have been convinced for a long time as I pray for the future of The Salvation Army that our best days are ahead of us. We had a Territorial Day of Day on Saturday 9^th May, linking in with 150 years since William Booth first preached outside the Blind Beggar, trying to grab hold of some of that breakthrough spirit and catch the destiny momentum for the next 150 years,  or however long we get. As we were praying, I felt the Lord saying this:

‘The best days of the Army are not behind you, they are yet to come – I have even better in store than the history books write about. This is your invitation to dream. What could even better look like? What do YOU want to see me do? I can do bigger, more, wilder than you can ask or imagine.’

It makes me wonder, what are the things that stand out from the history books, what are the stories that inspire and set fire in our bones?

What does bigger, better, wilder, fuller than that look like?

I want to be strategic in my intercession.

A while back, some of us from UK gathered together in prayer and fasting for the Army, to lament, to repent, to press in and to dream, so some of you will have seen this before, so bear with me. Please join me in praying, help me raise the stakes where you think of ways we can dream bigger than this.

I DREAM of:

- Solidiership being a radical commitment that people sign up to with integrity, knowing what it is and intending to keep it. Soldiers who are trained well, with ongoing discipleship, for people to see soldiership as a vaild, untarnished discipleship option.


- A united vision for where the Army is going. There are so many ideas splintering in different directions currently.


- An Army where the prophetic is normal, expected, hungered after, and that it directs our decision making, our leadership choices, our discipling, our evangelism, where the prophetic comes from the top down and the bottom up; where the sheep know the voice of the Shepherd.


- An Army that is characterised by and known for effective evangelism, among the churches and among the lost.


- An Army driven by the heart to please God, rather than the need to preserve our reputation or to chase funding.


- Innovation and an environment that permits freedom to explore and create.


- Passionate, daredevil, sacrificial faith.


- Great love for each other that honours and builds up.


- An Army that cracks social justice issues, changing laws, working it out on the ground.


- People who know and love the Word.


- Pray-ers, Givers, Lovers, Do-ers.


- Prophets, evangelists and apostles being valued and given the space to lead the way.


- Revival that is uncompromised, that directs converts into mission and discipleship and that keeps replicating.


- Communities and nations being transformed.


- Real freedom being worked out (freedom from substances, fear, love of money…), rather than appearance of righteousness being faked for reputation.


- Prayer and worship without inhibition.


- A belief in and hunger for holiness.


- Young people rising up as leaders NOW, not waiting to be ‘old enough’.


- Healings and other miracles being common place and expected.


- Practical service resulting in spiritual fruit.


- Plentiful labourers to the harvest fields.

- Structures that enable mission, rather than distract from it.