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Volume 33   Number 21 May 24, 2009

        Psalm 87:1-3: His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of ZION more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God!
        Psalm 132:13-18: For the Lord has chosen ZION; He has desired it for His dwelling place (or place of habitation, Ephesians 2:22): "This is My resting place forever (Hebrews 4); here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. There I will make the horn (authority and anointing) of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon Himself His crown (authority or rule) shall flourish."
        The lamp spoken of here is Isaiah 60:1: Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Jesus is our ordained Lamp or Light.
        Isaiah 35:10: And the ransomed (redeemed) of the Lord shall return, and come to ZION with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Yes, there is power of praise, and the strength of Zion is joy.
        Here is a word for Zion in Zephaniah 3:16-17: In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; and to ZION, let not your hands be slack (or faint). The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will rest in His love (in you), He will rejoice (or leap) over you with singing."
        Jeremiah 31:12-14: "Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of ZION, and shall flow together (streaming together) to the goodness of the Lord—for wheat (bread) and new wine (joy in the Holy Spirit) and oil (anointing), for the young of the flock (children) and the herd (whole assembly). Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow (to be grieved) no more at all.
        "Then shall the virgin (the pure of heart) rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together. For I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow (afflictions). I will satiate (make full) the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord." ZION is calling us to a higher place of praise.
        Hebrews 12:22-29: But you have come to MOUNT ZION and to the city of the living God (Psalm 87:3), the heavenly Jerusalem (City of God–Revelation 21:10–1,500 miles), to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel (this is the blood of Jesus).
        See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven." Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
        Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
        Indeed, the Lord has been and is shaking everything that can be shaken in our lives so that only what is of Him remains. The anointing can take you somewhere great in God, but it is your character that can keep you there.
        There are many scriptures that say "Come and let us go to the mountain of the Lord and the house of our God." There is a call to the citizens of Zion to come unto Zion, to come into the presence of God, and to live in His presence.
        There is a rebuilding of Zion in you. It is time to change your address, because you are called to be a citizen of Zion. That is getting in the "God Zone," the place where He lives. However, you have to see yourself there before you see yourself there. ZION IS CALLING. Will you answer the call? What are you going to do? Will you rise up? Will you ascend the hill of the Lord? Will you go up higher?
        There is a song that says:
        Zion is a place of singing; Zion is a place of joy.
        Zion is the dwelling of the Lord.
        Zion is a place of worship; Zion is a place of praise.
        Zion is the dwelling of the Lord.
        So let us climb the hill of Zion, the city of the Living God.
        The city of the Living God, O the city of the Living God.
        So let us climb the hill of Zion, the city of the Living God.
        For the Ark of the Testimony is in her midst.

        Following is a prophetic word through Pastor Phil given October 19, 2003: For I have called you, I have called you, says the Lord. I have called you. I have called you to rise up in Me. Do not be afraid. Do not hold back, but step forward in your spirit, step forward in your inner man. Allow yourself to step forward in faith. Allow yourself to step forward in My purpose, for I am raising you up for such an hour as this, says the Lord. Do not look to the right or to the left. Do not be impressed by that which the world would say, but listen to My voice, says the Lord, for I am speaking, and I am releasing, and I am moving through My people in this hour.
        For I will have a people who will move by My power, says the Lord. So do not be fearful, do not look back, do not look at the failures of the past, do not be concerned with the disappointments of the past, but look unto Me, says the Lord, for I am about to move in your life. I am about to move around your life. I am about to move over this place, says the Lord.
        Prophetic song through Deborah Goins: The Lord is calling. The Lord is calling: Come up higher, come up higher in Me. The Lord is calling: Come up higher in Me to be seated with Me in heavenly places. That's what I am calling you to do, to be seated with Me in heavenly places. The call is going out—come up higher, come up higher.
        Stop looking at yesterday, for it is a new day, says the Lord. Stop looking at the past, for good things and new things await you, but you must come up higher. Come up higher. Come up higher. The call is going out: Come up higher in Me. Don't you know you are overcomers? You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You are overcomers. Hear My Word. Walk in the Word. Do not hear the voice of the enemy. Walk in My Word, and listen only to Me. I call you to come up higher. Good things await you. Stop looking at yesterday, stop looking at the failures of the past. It's a new day. It's a new day, says the Lord.
        Come up higher in Me. Come up higher in Me, for wonderful things await you, My children. Wonderful things await you. Just know you are more than conquerors. You are overcomers because you belong to Me. You are overcomers. Just come up higher in Me.