February 3, 2009

Dear Friend:

Thank you for continuing to stand with us in prayer. This has been an interesting season for us with the situation with our daughter Sherry. Charlotte has been in Houston off and on since December 14th while Sherry has been receiving treatment at MD Anderson, which she completes on February 9th. We knew in early November that the Lord was speaking to us about a season of being still. We just didn't realize it would look like this. We are very hopeful and believe God is healing and restoring Sherry. We know that all of the prayer is instrumental in turning this situation around for His glory. If you want to check the status of her recovery, we have a website with Caring Bridge that we frequently update: www.caringbridge.org/visit/sherrylou

We had a prophetic word the other day that we were in a divinely ordained interlude. We want to emerge from this season with victory. We also want renewed focus and clarity on how God wants us aligned and what He is saying is the portion for the LAPN in 2009. Right now there are so many networks forming nationally. We have been asked to coordinate the state for several of these which is an honor but also a huge responsibility. We are primarily aligned with Chuck Pierce and Glory of Zion, Int’l Ministries in Denton, Texas. Additionally, however, we network with Dutch Sheets and the United States Apostolic Alliance as well as Cindy Jacobs and the Reformation Prayer Network to see transformation and reformation in our state and nation. We know that this is a critical year concerning alignment—submitting to the Kingship of the Lord and being aligned and submitted vertically and horizontally according to His plan. Please pray that we will clearly hear how the Lord wants us aligned!

God wants us to become dependent on Him as never before—dependent on His presence. It will be critical in these unstable and chaotic times in which we are living. I (Charlotte) have been in an apartment in the medical center area of Houston for almost six weeks across from the Reliant Center and Stadium. I'm obviously a slow learner as only yesterday did it dawn on me that God was saying something to me through this. The word "reliant" means dependence on something or someone. The center or the main concentration of what He's trying to do is to teach us total reliance or dependence on Him. I'm afraid that too much of what we've done in the body of Christ has not been through total dependence and reliance on His presence. Someone help me out here! Surely we're not the only ones!!

Thankfully in the midst of our family battle, God gave us opportunity to attend Starting the Year Off Right in Denton. There was such an anointing on the speakers and the prophetic word seemed much stronger this year, more discernibly accurate, encouraging, but at the same time very sobering. For those of you who were unable to attend, we wanted to give you a brief overview of those words, which we believe are very timely and beneficial to us individually and corporately.

Here is a prophetic picture of the Hebrew year 5769 that we gleaned from the conference and also some prayer directives for all of us and for our state:

• This year we will be dealing with occult level spiritual warfare. God will cut off occult level roots this year and pull them off your family. We can't enter this year with fear. We will overcome in this warfare by the blood of Jesus, the word of our testimony, and by not loving our lives unto the death. Chuck Pierce said that if we don't win this battle with the occult this year, we will lose the whole war. (This could be very significant in Louisiana since this has always been one of our major battlegrounds. Pray that we will embrace our portion in this warfare.)
• This is a year to taste and see the Lord’s goodness. (Ps. 34:8)
• This year also represents a wineskin. Declare that you are a new wineskin that will hold the new wine of His power and glory.
• It's time to birth what has been conceived. This is a year of fruitfulness. Some kind of fruit will develop so we want to be sure that any wrong "planting" be removed.
• This is a year of wonder, hope, joy, a year of fulfillment.
• This year we become the warriors that we have been preparing to be. This is the year of the "Triumphant (victorious) Reserve (that which is kept for the future)". Declare that the Triumphant Reserve will arise in Louisiana, freed to war!
• Declare that signs, wonders, and miracles will fill the cities of Louisiana. Pray for an outbreak of healing in our state.
• There will be hard times this year. But your expectation of His goodness does not depend on circumstances or the economy. Declare that we will have wealth in the midst of famine. Expect His goodness this year. (Isaac prospered and became rich in a time of famine. Gen. 26)
• Declare that the lid is coming off the body of Christ in Louisiana and that we are coming into our calling and giftings.
• The Hebrew number 9 is also the word "Tet" (pronounced "tate") Tet words are clean, pure, splendor, etc., but words for impure are also tet words. This year it is important to discern between good and evil.
• This Hebrew symbol (tet) pictures the good. It is of two people standing side by side, one with a crown (king) and then a man bowing before him in submission. Being “good” is not legalism but you submitting your life to the King. This is an important year to acknowledge Him. The word “alignment” is important—kingship of the Lord but also all of us submitted somewhere if we are going to make it. If you won’t submit then evil is like a serpent waiting at the door.
• Pray for worship movements to be released from our state.
• This is the year for the church to change and shift into apostolic order. Declare apostolic order over the church of Louisiana.
• This year we are to choose a path of joy and peace and we are to worship and praise at a higher level.
• Pray for new creativity, witty inventions, and discoveries to be released in and from Louisiana.
• As contrary winds blow this year, pray that we will stay in faith, get prepared, and be ready to soar with the Lord. Declare that in every adverse situation we will see the Lord “walking on the water” and our faith will arise to meet Him.
• There's still time for our nation to be a "city set on a hill". Keep declaring those covenant decrees we released before the election and decree an awakening over the church of our nation.
• Pray for a renewed dependence on the Lord, always receiving revelation from Him and knowing that we must hear from Him in every situation.
• Pray that you will pass every test and move into a new level of authority this year.
• Pray for "the river to rise" in your life, family, city, region, and state. (John 7:38)
• Because the Hebrew year represents a womb, this is a pregnant year. God is forming something for your future. Welcome what God is birthing in your life this year. It may be uncomfortable but look to see what God is forming.(Jer. 29:11)
• Pray for our state to continue to align and connect with the root nation, Israel.  (Alignment means prayer, relationship, and giving.)

We will keep you updated as things develop in our state in relation to the alignments that we mentioned, such as statewide gatherings, prayer initiatives, etc. Please pray that as intercessors and apostolic kingdom minded people we will all stay rightly aligned with His covenant plan for our state.

For each of you personally, we release "healings" into the economies of your life—healing over your job, your health, your family—for every area of your life to be divinely shifted to align with His economy.

We bless you and pray God's favor upon you! (Numbers 6:23-27) Remember you were made for times such as this!!

Roger & Charlotte Merschbrock
Louisiana Apostolic Prayer Network