Joel Stockstill

Return and HELP US!

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:30:00 +0000

LORD, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? RETURN and HELP US, for we are your servants. Isa. 63:17
As a prophetic person and watchmen on the wall there is a stirring in my spirit for our great nation. As I have prayed (and continue to) for America there seems to be 3 arenas of activity that we must perceive properly in order to “stand in the gap.” We must turn back the forces of darkness that are aggressively seeking to destroy that which was sovereignly established by those needing refuge for a pure and genuine faith in Almighty God.
1. Spiritual- the first and most significant arena of concern is that of the spiritual. While church houses grow colder and emptier of people and God’s Spirit, the enemy seeks to destroy the very fibers of godliness this nation was founded upon. We need some fresh fire in our hearts and some hot tears on our faces in order to revive and awaken the sleeping giant of the church. The time for sitting off in a corner and steering clear of all things not “church” is over!
2. Political- we are at a place now in our nation where the ungodly outnumber the godly. Those who want to see the agenda of legal abortion, state licensed gay marriage, state mandated evolution education with Creation banned and many other such anti-Biblical stances are gaining the majority and using that majority to have their voice heard in govt. We as the church must not only pray but exercise our right to vote (with informed voting) and see souls brought into the Kingdom of God so that righteousness can be re-established in our nation as a majority. (later we will talk more about what a minority of godly would look like if permanently allowed)
3. Social- their is a grassroots uprising that is a prevailing wind of our times right now where it is not only looked down on to speak in the name of Jesus but is liable to produce law suits and loss of job, reputation, or property. As the church, we must as the Lord for great boldness to declare the matchless name of Jesus and as Christians we must not shrink back for any persecution or fallout that may come in using His name. The Muslims are not worrying about who is upset with their beliefs. They have militantly marched forward in their agenda of forcing the whole world to be subject to their tyrant false god. How much more should we be bold in declaring the grace and love of our perfect Leader and Captain of our Salvation JESUS!
As you read this today I pray that your heart would be stirred like mine for our nation. This word is not meant to be information but inspiration. Many are confused and distracted in this hour and as the church we must regain our focus. The time is now! Lord, RETURN and HELP US!

Awakening ’12

admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:37:35 +0000

All praise to the Lord Jesus for His endless kindness and mercy toward me! As I stated in one of my recent blogs “New Season, Same Passion” I shared the fact that the Lord has moved me into a new season of prophetic ministry. This is an exciting time where the Lord is opening new doors and utilizing gifts that have been on hold for quite some time. For the last few years I have been the campus pastor at our North campus here at Bethany. This role has now changed and I find myself free on Sundays to travel and minister in other churches. This is something that I have enjoyed doing immensely in the past with limited availability due to my role here but now have been released to go and bring the prophetic word of deliverance to those who are hungry for that type of ministry (which I feel many are).
Right now there is a burning desire in my heart to see awakening in this great country of ours. This has inspired me to step out into something I call AWAKENING ’12 where I will be traveling to local churches and stirring up revival fire wherever the Lord would open the door, particularly in the Gulf Coast region where I could drive with my team. If you are a pastor\leader and you would like for me to come and ignite a passion for more of God in your church please feel free to contact me directly at pjoelstockstill@gmail.com. My heart is to come and serve the local church with the badly needed prophetic ministry that the Lord has given me.
Those of you who are not pastors please pray with me that the Lord would continue to give me strength in my physical body in order to accomplish the mandate that is burning in my spirit. God Bless!

Whitney Houston

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:20:22 +0000

John 5:26-29 For as the Father has LIFE in himself, so he has granted the SON ALSO to have LIFE in himself. 27And he has given him AUTHORITY to EXECUTE JUDGMENT, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, those who have DONE GOOD to the RESURRECTION OF LIFE, and those who have DONE EVIL to the RESURRECTION OF JUDGMENT.
Every time a big name celebrity passes away it gives us room to reflect on both the state of our own souls and the condition of the Gospel in our nation. This week was the tragic passing of Whitney Houston, of whom I have loved for most of my life for her amazing voice and persona. (I think the soundtrack for “The Preacher’s Wife” got wore out more than just about any other album I’ve ever owned) Her Gospel roots and seeming all around goodness endeared her to people all over the world. But this is not the point of today.
The point of today is that as a prophetic voice it grieves me when “men of God” that know the truth and preach the truth (when convenient) seem to ignore the part of the Gospel that warns of God’s judgment upon those who are in sin and unrepentant. There seems to always be the assumption that anyone who was a celebrity and loved by many surely must have been right with God and headed to heaven. This assumption is many times wrong! It is not for me to say whether Whitney was right with God or not but based on the fruits of her life in her later years it would not be hard to make a case against it. Yet, at the funeral and all week long everyone (Christian leaders) was speaking with great confidence of her sure salvation and heavenly reward. What kind of message does this send to our nation? What place does righteousness by the Blood of Jesus play in this whole thing? It seems nothing!
Now I’m sure many will misunderstand my heart on this but it needs to be spoken nonetheless. It doesn’t matter if your the prince in the palace or the lowest servant in the dungeon, if you don’t have the Blood over your life then you will be subject to the destroyer (ask the Egyptians). Being a celebrity or just a regular person will make no difference on judgment day. This is why it is imperative when opportunities arise (like this one) where men of God have the attention of the nation, they MUST tell the truth of the Gospel in love to all. There is no need to condemn or bring judgment on the deceased, but a clear message of righteousness through repentance to those STILL LIVING is the LEAST that should happen. When everyone is comforted by the false hopes of religion and emotion, the truth of sinners falling into the hands of an angry God is kept silent. The masses will suffer for this unwillingness to declare the truth of God’s Word in a moment where hearts are open to eternal things.
Lastly, I pray that dear Whitney had a personal relationship with Jesus and was pursuing holiness in the fear of God. As a minister, my heart grieves for any who may have passed into eternity without their name being firmly established in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Even more, for the masses of people who could have heard a message of righteousness and repentance but did not get an accurate picture of God’s plan for eternal life.
Exodus 12:29-30 And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. 30Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.

#Saturate

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:56:19 +0000

1 Sam. 3:2-4NLT One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The Lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly, the Lord called out, “Samuel!”

Many people have been asking me what the deal is with the whole “saturate” thing and in this little blog I would love to explain…
-Eli, was almost blind by now, had gone to bed- We are at a place now in the body of Christ where it is time for a new prophetic generation to arise (Samuel). Eli represents the shell of old leadership that has lost the vision for godliness and holiness in our churches and nation. It says not only was he blind but that he had gone to bed. Many great leaders of yesterday have passed away into eternal sleep.
-The Lamp of God had not yet gone out- This lamp was not just any lamp! It was the Lampstand of the Holy Spirit (see Isa11:2). Though many have tried directly and indirectly to remove the Spirit of God from the church, that lamp is still lit. It might be flickering a bit but is definitely still burning. I know it is burning in my heart and the heart of many others who have refused to abandon the precious 3rd Person of the Trinity.
-Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God- Here is where we get to the matter of saturate. I define saturate or saturation as “any intentional attempt to experience the presence of God.” It doesn’t matter if you go to sleep with worship music on in your bedroom or sit in a quiet place and listen for several hours, the point is that you are pursuing God’s presence instead of your own interests or the world’s latest offering. There is a movement beginning in the hearts of people everywhere that cries out for more of Jesus. Saturate is simply giving articulation to this cry. Saturate empowers those who are hungry to experience His presence in a real but unconventional way.
-Suddenly, the Lord called out, “Samuel!”- Wow! there is so much in this concluding statement. Notice the same word as used in Acts 2:2 when the Holy Spirit fell on the 120 in the Upper Room is used here. Suddenly is what you get when you have intentionally hungered and thirst after righteousness. The next thing it says is that “the Lord called out.” How powerful! Jesus is crying out to communicate with His Bride and if we would just get away from the hustle and bustle of life and wait on Him HE WILL SPEAK! I’m gonna tell you right now that this excites me more than anything else in the whole world that the Creator of the universe would be so in love with me that He would cry out to have fellowship. The final thought here is that God called Samuel’s name and began to speak to him about the condition of the nation. When the Lord begins to place a burden in the hearts of young people all over this nation to bring revival and awakening there will be a great shaking that WILL happen. This is what we need! Oh, how desperately we need this for today!
I leave you with this quote that the Holy Spirit breathed into my heart about this subject: “SATURATION is the key to SENSITIVITY!”
(For more on this subject follow @SaturationRoom or search #saturate on Twitter and look for the soon to come website)

How to Vote

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:56:18 +0000

As we enter an election year and critical offices are at stake, many people in the body of Christ are unsure of how they should vote. After all, the Bible doesn’t tell us who to vote for, right? Well, this is a matter of wisdom and discernment. There are 2 thoughts that are pertinent to this issue as follows:
1. Principle- We must vote first and foremost based on our convictions from the Word of God. This primarily pertains to social issues that the world would try make of no real value but yet deep down they are not willing to budge on one bit! I’m speaking of issues like abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, and many other hot button topics that divide people right down the middle. It is really a matter of difference between those who claim the Bible as their foundation for belief and all others who deny the Word of God as the final authority and have decided to form their opinions by any means other than the Word. When you vote for a candidate that is for abortion or champions the cause of homosexuals, you have directly gone against your Biblical values and placed a person and\or personality above the principles of the Word. I know this may be hard for some to swallow but nonetheless needs to be said. When you diminish these issues in order to justify your preference of candidate, you have made something concrete optional.
2. Preference- once principles are decided, it should be pretty clear who you are left with as options. The field with either be limited or empty! (if you can’t vote for any candidate with good conscience then don’t vote!) From this point you can vote based on whether or not you like the candidates economic ideas and so forth or whether or not you “like” them. Like or dislike should come last in your evaluation process in voting. Too many Americans just pull the lever for whoever they think is cool, charming, good looking, or full of promises. This is a tragedy! When the godliness of our nation slips by us daily we must stand up and speak out with the voice given us.
So remember, always vote principles first (based on the Word of God) and THEN you can put your preference into the mix. It is time to stand for righteousness!
Prov. 28:2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.

Demanding Homosexual Agenda

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:20:53 +0000

There is a great caution that has been rising in my spirit over the last several years as to the intrusive and demanding nature of the homosexual agenda. Many of you have read my thoughts over the years on this blog and know that my concern over this issue is a longstanding one. As we move into this election year it seems as if this agenda has taken an even more aggressive posture. From knowing this foul spirit throughout the Bible, it has always been clear to me that it would never be satisfied with expression or equality. As I have stated before, this spirit WILL NOT stop until it has silenced every dissenting voice and forced all would-be dissenters to agree and even affirm their wicked lifestyle. This is what we call a militant spirit!

Does it seem odd to you that the question asked of anyone who claims to be a Christian (whether politician or preacher) is whether homosexuality is a sin or if they or for\against it? For the last 2 decades or so abortion was the hot topic issue that the liberal left used to point out the “radical fundamentalists”, but in this new day we live in, the question of choice has definitely shifted to this issue. It is my belief that we will see this issue only grow more and more controversial over the next years.
The saddest part of all is the weak kneed Christian leaders who have either cow towed already to social pressure and abandoned God’s Word or acted as if they are ashamed of the Bible’s take on things and wish they could distance themselves from God on this one issue. How dangerous!

In conclusion, there are 2 things that we must rest our conviction upon. The Word of God makes it very clear that homosexuality is an abomination in the sight of God and all who participate in that sin will have their place in the lake of fire. This is UNLESS they repent of their sin and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and deliverance. Also, we must be zealous for our God. If He is enraged by this awful sin then so should we! There should be none of this attitude toward the homosexual agenda that tries to distance our personal feelings from that of our God. None of this, and I repeat NONE, means that we can’t love those who are bound by this awful sin and pray for their restoration to fellowship with God through the same Blood of Jesus that saved us. It must remain our deepest desire that NONE would perish but ALL receive eternal life through the gift of God Christ Jesus.

Let us hold to the standard of Biblical integrity in this dark hour. Let us not grow weary in well doing but hold fast to the end and receive the reward of righteousness.
Jn. 3:16 For God SO loved the world (every kind of sinner) that He gave His only begotten Son, that NONE would perish, but all would inherit eternal life.

Crowd Jesus or Disciple Jesus

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:45:32 +0000

The Jesus that we serve was\is an amazing God! He was able to accomplish so much on earth in just 3 1/2 short years that we will forever be marveling at His leadership. He exemplified every portion of example we could possibly need for the maturity of the Church. There are 2 aspects of His leadership that I would like to bring out in order to show the great need that aspiring leaders have for discipleship. (Don’t misunderstand and think I am saying that Jesus did anything contradictory or hypocritical.)

–”Crowd Jesus”– can you imagine being in one of Jesus’ crusades? The lost are being found by His incredible Kingdom presentation, the sick are being healed with no discrimination of problem, the demonic are being set free from all bondage, and food is being multiplied to thousands! What a party! Who wouldn’t want to be there? Who wouldn’t want to come back? How far would be too far to reach such a crusade? There were literally thousands upon thousands who felt this way about Jesus. He was the biggest thing to hit planet earth since Adam was placed in the Garden. Fun, exciting, exhilarating, and supernatural would be just a few words to describe the public ministry of Jesus.

–”Disciple Jesus”– the flip side of this picture is the scenes that are painted over and over again in the Gospels of Jesus interacting with His disciples and those who wanted to be apart of His team. We see just about every situation recorded being some sort of opportunity for Jesus to correct, rebuke, or direct those around Him to a higher place of maturity and leadership.

1. Prospects- the rich young ruler was used to “crowd Jesus” and thought he would join the party. After all, he was most qualified with resources to spare and strict obedience to the law his whole life. WRONG! Jesus lit him up with a challenge to put it all on the line and get rid of his possessions in order to give all for Him. This ruined the rich young man’s hopes of being an inside man with the greatest show on earth. (1 of many examples I could rehearse)

2. Individual Disciples- Peter was called the devil. James and John rebuked for “not knowing what spirit they were of.” Thomas received a rebuke of all time infamy with his doubt on display. Over and over Jesus was forming these fishermen, tax collectors, and political misfits into a Kingdom advancing machine.

3. Disciples as a group- Where do I even start? “O ye of little faith” was an every other day rebuke to the would-be world changers. Lessons on allowing the children to come and be blessed made them look bad. Arguing over who would be the greatest met with Jesus’ deep disapproval (of behavior not personhood). The disciples as a whole had constant need of Jesus’ direct discipline.

POINT: There are many believers who enjoy a lifetime of ministry and church (“crowd Jesus”) without ever running into the “disciple Jesus.” If you ever want to be used mightily of the Lord then you MUST find “disciple Jesus” and allow Him to mold you into the great man or woman of God that He sees. Remember, He is disciplining you because He loves you and so greatly desires you to become all He has formed you to be! (and He will do this work through submitting to the mentoring of someone who is MORE MATURE than you, not just SITTING AROUND dreaming about it)

Heb. 12:5
And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,
“My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
6 For the LORD disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.
9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? (NLT2)

Starting Point for Leaders

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:27:22 +0000

OK, so you are a young leader (youth pastor or aspiring leader) and your heart is to become the man or woman of God that you feel like the Lord has called you to be. Where do you start? What can you do to ensure that you are moving forward in your development? So glad you asked! I’m gonna give you 3 simple things today that will help you to get traction toward being that supernatural leader of tomorrow. (Note: these are not listed in any particular order)

1. Character- the foundation of your life as a minister. This character should be built upon the rock of the Word. This character should be fashioned every day more and more like the character of Christ. Areas like total honesty, transparency, sexual purity, sound financial stewardship, just to list a few! As you can see, we all have many areas for the Holy Spirit to continue His work in us.

2. Calling- it is imperative as an aspiring leader to discover your calling. Your calling will be the guide to walking in the perfect will of God for your life. (If the Lord has called you to the ministry then you would never want to marry someone who doesn’t share that same passion.) The best course of action for this discovery process is to submit your life in the local church and allow the leadership to help guide you. They will be used of the Lord along the way to help identify, confirm, and release you into the specific call of God for your life.

3. Communion- this is your practical relationship with the Lord. The part of you that longs for fellowship with Jesus. Paul spoke of “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Obviously, this is not something that we do naturally! It is something that must be developed. Develop a sense of deep communion with the Lord. This means that things such as daily reading of the Word and times of prayer and worship with the Lord become second nature and you become a person of deep spirituality (not super-spiritual!).

Wow! as you can see, this is not going to be something you accomplish before dinner tomorrow! I pray these 3 simple areas articulated here will give you something to run with. A sense of where to start in your amazing journey to fulfill Jesus’ best for your life. Remember: don’t settle for anything less than all you’ve been called to be…the Kingdom needs you!!!

New Season, Same Passion

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:26:12 +0000

The last 8 years of my life have been completely devoted to the ministry of reaching this generation with the message of the Cross. That message ranges from the need for true repentance and tangible fruit of righteousness to the development of top level leaders through intense discipleship. As I have been seeking the Lord over the last couple of months, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me expressly about the next 5 yrs of my life and the mandate He has for Amie and I. As many of you know, the last 10 yrs (from ’01-’11) has been spent serving my father here at Bethany in the role of senior associate (on top of youth pastor). This season has been an amazing time of growing and serving that I know has prepared me for what the Lord has ahead. Now, with the transition to my brother Jonathan as senior pastor, my role here is changing to both support him as the new leader and branch out into the prophetic\apostolic ministry the Lord has called me to. Bottom line:
My heart is to serve emerging leaders by any means necessary! From aspiring youth pastors\leaders to brand new generational lead pastors, the Lord has put a burden to give freely that which He has placed on my life. In everything from wisdom for real life to faith for supernatural vision, there is a definite passion in my heart to empower leaders to be supernatural leaders. Whether through daily microblogs of encouragement to my new book (to be released soon, stay tuned) on the power of radical discipleship, my daily task will be to lend a helping hand to those desiring help. My final prayer in all of this is that the Lord would use all that I have been through and seen by way of success for His glory. His glory is everything to me!
1 Cor 11:1 Follow me, as I follow Christ!

2012, Year of Release

admin — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:49:02 +0000

Wow! What a start to this marvelous decade of 2011-2020. 2011 was awash with transition and new beginnings but as we move forward into 2012 there are so many things materializing in the Spirit! Here are a few things the Lord has been speaking to me concerning this new year. I pray that you will be blessed, encouraged, and motivated to seek the Lord for yourself in regards to His amazing plans for your life in the NOW dimension of FAITH! Enjoy:

1. Release of the old (Acts 1)- the old decade and ALL it’s remnants are gone and the newness of life found in this 2nd decade of the 21st century has come. We all have a tendency to hold on to what is familiar and I see the Lord has taken out all regret and focus on what could have been and shifted our whole attention to the great work at hand.

2. Release of the new (Acts 2)- there will be significant progress made this year toward fresh vision. As revelation came in ’11 now confirmation by supernatural fruit will come to pass. If 2011 was the spring weather shifting then 2012 will be the first buds to break forth and CONFIRM that we are indeed moving into amazing life and expansion.

3. Release of sons and daughters (Acts 6)- 12 is the age of accountability and I hear the Lord saying that there will be many faithful sons and daughters that will find themselves at the moment of release into greater roles. Those who have labored as spiritual fathers and mothers should not be stingy in holding them back but gracious in understanding what the Lord is doing. We must be careful to not allow those who have been faithful to keep going on and on in a role that they now have matured out of and others should step into. The Kingdom is always expanding and this expansion will happen in 2012 through young Timothy’s being sent on their first assignment without Paul’s direct oversight. This is the picture of where many of our loyal disciples find themselves these days. We grieve at losing their help because it is so valuable, and we hate to see them grow up and leave (as a parent with their beloved child), BUT this is their season of release. We must not keep them past the moment of release or risk hindering what we have worked so hard to achieve in their formation. RELEASE THEM, says the Lord!!!!

4. Release of the warring spirit (Judg. 3:1-2)- The time is now for the adolescent Bride to learn how to war. A holy zeal is rising in the remnant of true believers as the comfortable atmosphere of godliness we have known in past decades is nearly gone. The erosion of the “godly soil” has been catastrophic and a new foundation must be layed through the tears and travail of the saints. The Lord is saying to me that He is indeed teaching a new generation how to war and this begins with becoming a warrior! He is preparing young disciples to overcome their selfish ambition and take up their cross. These young warriors will be skilled in the word of God and know the voice of the Holy Spirit. As fathers and mothers we must foster this “warring spirit” with times of extended prayer that is not self related but focused on Kingdom expansion through the winning of the lost. Nations must be adopted, tribes must be possessed, burdens for regions must come with great passion in order for this new generation to take up the cause of finishing the Great Task (Commission). It is time for the warring spirit to be released! See 1 Jn. 2:14