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Ep 6 - "Go See About The Constitution" · This Is That: Believe Again

• Yvonne Denise Hicks: I want to decree and declare that the earth is the Lord and ultimately he is the ruler, he is king. whether a government recognizes Him or not, whether a nation recognizes Him or not, whether an individual recognition. recognizes him or not. He is king and he is our great high priest. And so we are kings and priests. and so we have a responsibility to govern and to get involved in our our government and in voting, Welcome to This Is That Believe Again. I'm your host, Yvonne Denise, and message, but it will air on September the 17th, which is Constitution Day. So today I want to share some of my God stories. It's gonna be a a story about the Constitution, but it concerns America, covenant, liberty, government, and the alignment with God's the Lord's kingdom. And so to kind of think back to episode five, we walked through a portion of America the beautiful from sea to shining sea. And so we're gonna continue talking about Acts 17, 26 to 28, and how God made the nation and preappointed our times and our boundaries so people might seek him and reach for him and find him. And so last time we looked prophetically at you know, America the beautiful from sea to shining sea and at covenant and generations and what is entrusted from one generation to another. And we end it with What has God placed in our hands and in our appointed time and place? And so we also touched a little bit about the recent stirring from my seeing the movie A Great Awakening. seeing George Whitfield, Benjamin Franklin, Independence Hall, brought that period totally alive for me in a fresh way, reminded me of what people were willing to. build and sacrifice for generations that they would never see. And so I had mentioned before back in 2007 that I had an encounter with Reverend Robert Hunt and how the Lord showed me that I was born on purpose in Philadelphia and and how Reverend Hunt had dedicated this nation to the Lord. it was a land at that point and how he proclaimed that the gospel would go forth from these shores. And so the Lord really brought home that Acts seventeen, twenty six was really a living word, that He's preappointed our times in the boundaries so that we will know Him, seek Him. And so the Lord in the in that moment turned my heart back towards America. I just always felt a call to the nations and I just knew that I was born on purpose in Philadelphia. and I was born on Flag Day and or the US Army's birthday birthday. And so just an important stirring time. So we're gonna discuss a a portion of that today. So just let me pray for a moment. So Father, I just thank you, Lord God, for those who are watching and catching this, Lord God, that their hearts likewise would be stirred to what you founded in America and what our purpose is for being born or sent here to America. And so Father, I just ask for your spirit to Holy Spirit just have your way. and we just thank you for your presence in Jesus' name. And so again, the focus today is on Philadelphia. I grew up as you know I mentioned in Philadelphia was my home. I remember going different places with my mom as a as a young girl, my mom and my sister and we would, you know, go to Independence Hall and the Christchurch, Bessie Ross's house. I remember the cobblestone streets, the squares, the the waterfront, William Penn sitting above City Hall and just just the organization of the city. The Market Street and Broad Street and the different tree names of the streets and just the number, the order that he had. And and then you know, growing up because of the schools that I went to, I traveled through the city and so I remember the art museum and Franklin Institute. I I went to the the main public library that was downtown. It was just really spent a lot of time in the bus business district and I just I I loved it. I loved history and I loved being a part of of that time. And then, you know, I as I mentioned, there you know, there was trouble, you know. the era that I I grew up in in in the sixties and so forth, there was trouble in terms of the the assassinations, the riots, the just a lot of chaos in the city it's important to you know to go back and remember what it was and what the original purpose for our nation and and for Philadelphia and for wherever you were were born and and whatever time and whatever season you were born because I believe in the midst of the chaos that we were born to be an answer. to the chaos or whatever we were born into that the Lord ahead of time knew and preappointed our times and our boundaries. So so the Lord had been stirring in me for decades about I had studied history my my dad really emphasized that and I had studied history and so that was in me when I got saved and I was looking for the things that I I saw in in history, the great awakenings, the transformation, the Lord's power, his presence, and you know what his heart was, what he wanted to do in the earth. And so back in 2012, I had gone through s different seasons, right? I mentioned Reverend Robert Hunt in 2007. I mentioned I think in past times that I had helped with a a Bible college. I was, you know, helped in a prayer movement. I was very active in church and very kind of troubled 'cause I was still wasn't seeing what I was hungering and longing for. And so in twenty twelve, the Lord had me like kind of lay everything down and I had two back to back dreams in in that season and in those dreams I was back in Philadelphia, I was walking through City Hall and walking down Market Street and and and seeing the Lord kind of gear me like he was giving me options to make do do I really want to go forth in in seeing what he had before me. And so I I did that. I the Lord asked, you know, will I do my part in essence? And I was like, Yes, Lord, we will release heaven on earth. And and so I out of that, as I mentioned before, I birthed the Lord birthed through me releasing heaven ministries. It was a prayer, worship, and outreach ministry. It still is is functioning in the Charlotte area, but I'm now up here in the mountains and so you know in that a time frame of the birthing of releasing heaven ministry, I had I think I had mentioned before of of how the Lord had given me an encounter with with Harriet Tupman and again, you know, even the tie to Reverend Robert Hunt. But in that season the Lord was like he's creating an a new spiritual underground railroad and that he was putting things together that reconnecting what was disconnected and so I him mentioned before I got a chance to go back to Philadelphia and encountered my spiritual mom and told her what the Lord had shared with me and got the Amen and yes from her and in that in that season at the end of twenty twelve beginning of twenty thirteen I you know had an opportunity to really reconnect with her family as well and they invited me her daughter had has has a ministry and invited me to share you know some of my journey and in prayer and worship and I did that it was a small gathering and she was living in Wilmington, Delaware and just really felt the the presence 'cause Delaware is the the first state I found that had ratified the Constitution. So I f I found that all kind of interesting. and so I was invited back t in September of twenty thirteen and to a part of a worship be a part of a worship and prayer gathering and to bring our worship leader and so forth and so you know, she and I we we got in her vehicle and we drove to Philadelphia and I remember, you know, purposely, you know, like we need to stop in Washington, D C and at least, you know, put our feet down. And as typical, you you know, you get a little turned around in Washington D C. So we went around a couple of circles a couple of times and and kind of landed in in Philadelphia. And so that was again, September twenty thirteen. And before we left, I felt impressed. I heard the Lord say to go see about the Constitution. And I was like, Yes, Lord, right? So he had me print out like all the documents, right? I printed out the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, I print printed out some things about the you know, the of course the Bill of Rights and so forth and I printed out things about our founder founding fathers and just different information. And in the midst of kind of preparing that, I discovered that there was actually a national constitution center now in Philadelphia. I think it was created in about 2003 or so and it wasn't there when I was a growing up. And so I was like, ow, yes. And so we gathered and it during that prayer and and and worship time and I you know, kind of laid out the documents, you know, it on the floor it as as part of our covenant, you know, focus for the for the night. And and so we had a time of worshiping and praying over these documents and I shared some of the God stories I had w you know, in terms of Reverend Robert Hunt and things about covenant and things in that little bit of research before just again being a you know stirred afresh that Philadelphia was the birthplace of our nation and just recounting of the different buildings and places and seasons and again and it you know kind of s discussing it tonight is it on top of a great awakening movie. It just really made it makes it really living and so you know I shared about you know, the Reverend Robert Hunt, the covenant, dedication of the land to the Lord, his proclamation of the gospel going forth. And even, you know, in that Virginia Beach area, there are a lot of ministries that have training centers and so forth of of really doing that. And so, I talked about the the early charters of the the even the business end of things and the Mayflower Compact and and just different settlements and congregations and so forth and and about the you know, the declaration and the constitution and about William Penn's prayer of asking the Lord to set the nation, you know, down in the the birthplace of the nation down in his colony. And so just really powerful time and I I love that they got it, right? actually my spiritual mom's son, you know, he's like he got it in terms of being a covenant man and there were some things going on in the city. and and so he took his authority and kind of made some proclamations and and so forth and so that really stirred the rhythm of the night and so just really powerful a time there and so the next morning I had purpose Because the Lord said go see about the Constitution and t to go to the National Constitution Center. And so when I woke up or was, you know, kind of in that that fog of of of waking up, I started seeing like gold coins like tumbling about and everything. And in those moments I was like, Yes, Lord, yes, the US Mint is is down in that area. We will go to the US Mint. And so so our w worship leader and I, it was just the two of us. We went you know down to you know to Center City if you will and to that area to the Independence Mall area and I stopped first at the Federal Reserve and the reason being is because I you know w received like a full ride, full scholarship from them. to go to the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and and a part of that, they I had to work there, you know, like part time, that type of thing. And so I worked through different departments there, at the Federal Reserve. And in in th that season I you know, I was like, I found out they're not really a government agency, you know, and I I I saw like, you know, they would kind of be the the funnel for the different bank exchanges and so forth and they they had like the exchange of money there and all of that and I was like they're not a government agency and so i I pondered that in this in in in this season too in the twenty thirteen season and even now about you know who's controlling our money and things like that. And so I was like, okay, just kind of tucked those things away and so I just we just stopped outside and, you know, took a couple p pictures and I I remember kind of laying hands on the on the the building and just praying over the Federal Reserve. And so then our next stop was the National Constitution Center. I was just like so thrilled. I am like a history nut. So and you know, I was just looking at you know, the Federal Reserve and then the National Constitution Center, then the kind of on the other side with the was the US mint and they had this big display also of the Liberty Bell. it was a little crowded that day, so I don't th we did not go through the Liberty Bell part, but just breathing and taking it in of seeing just you know, that our founder founding of our our our nation right there, out of that square and again after seeing a Great Awakening movie, it really came alive and it it was just just really po powerful. So it was awesome to go through the the Constitution Center. it just you know made me ponder, afresh, you know, the even thinking back on it like, you know, well you know, our rights. Wh where do they really come from? You know, what's what's the government supposed to protect, you know? What what what's the authority? What's the what does liberty require? You know, what responsibility do we have as a free people? And so, kind I moved on, we went to the US Mint and When I walked through when we walked through the US Mint, there was actually gold coins dangling it from the ceiling. And I was like, okay, we are in the right place. And so I I went, it made me pay attention. So I went and I looked at the different displays and and so forth. And I I remember seeing where you know, the in the time of the depression that the US government had asked people to turn in their gold. because we they needed it and and and I saw and I was reading and it was like they never returned it. And so it it made me ponder about, you know, w what was that about, you know, that type of thing. And so we moved on from there and we we stopped at the the Christchurch burial ground and I remember as we were walking through like there's different signage there and I remembered seeing how worship from all these different congregations was going on. They they kind of had it where people different denominations were located. I mean the oldest June Jewish synagogue is functioning is is in Philadelphia and so just powerful and then again Christ Church again I had s gone there as a little girl but w it was the more the burial ground and so I purposely, you know, even back then went to go, you know, find Benjamin Franklin's gr grave and and different things and just, you know, kind of marveled at at it and again it just made it so much more powerful seeing the movie A Great Awakening. And so it's just, made it made it alive. And so reflecting again from the from the movie. you know, just seeing all the the the shops and and and different things like that, how you know, people lived and and and built something there. And so you know, how the the American Revolutionary War was about, you know, England was trying to take it back or or, you know, taxation and and different things and they had built something and they had given their their their lives and their fortunes and so forth, you know, for that. And so it it just made it again, like reflecting back on it, just made it come a alive. And so again, one generation is not you know, isn't it's not the end. We're all connected. We're all tied together. And and you have to to ponder in those moments, you know, like remember those sorts like where where do our rights come from? And you you see that in the declaration and the constitution. They they honored the Lord. They knew that he founded this nation. He is the one who purposed that that people could live and thrive and have liberty and pursue happiness and all of those different things. So it's it's just we're all connected, we're all tied. And so and I I love, the the portions of it, you know, of of of our document, you know, you know, these these truths are self evident, you know, and we're created e equal. We're endowed by the Lord, you know, f and have these rights and so forth. And so Liberty is is more than just freedom from something. It's freedom to something. And I I just love what people sacrificed to build and to and to pass on and some they knew that when they were signing the declaration of independence that, you know, they were it was a death warrant, you know, for for them and and still they did it. And so then kind of I think the lines were too long for the Liberty Bell and so we didn't get an opportunity to actually go through the Liberty bell at that time but it it it's got scripture on it Liv Leviticus and and and different portions of it. So you you kind of again ponder those things. And so seeing all of the different worship and signs and and and walking through by the time I got to independence hall, I could feel the presence of the Lord. I could feel the spirit of the Lord. I could feel William Penn's prayers about wanting his city, his c his colony to be the birthplace of of the nation. And in those moments I could feel the the scriptures about the Lord inhabits the praises of his people. It just made that whole encounter so much more powerful recognizing that and so I I just again am just amazed at who folks are. I'm gonna Tim Barton does an episode about, you know, what what the children knew. I mean they could quote scripture and so forth, you know, it was a part of their education and so forth and and things like that. So it's just the Lord is intertwined in in who we are as a nation because we are his. It's it's all about that. And and again marvel about how you know covenant costs something. and the Lord is is the one pulling most of the weight of course because of Jesus and his sacrifice and the you know what he created for us and and so forth. But we have a portion, we have a part. And so I just want to share also I I there is again this is airing on Constitution Day. There's gonna be one of the Patriot Academy our our coach a mentor in this in the Carolina region they're gonna they're gonna do a a a class or an a a walkthrough at seven o'clock p.m tonight so you're seeing this on on September the seventeenth so seven PM tonight and the it will be in the show notes that you can go and and register for that and so the one other thing that I I really want to to bring forth is that when I was walking through Independence Hall and everything, flashes of the movie National Treasure kept popping in my spirit. And and as I was reflecting on sharing today, it just made me realize of how we can become complacent because that movie you know sh had different mysteries and so forth and there there are different mysteries about you know where the wealth came from and everything but it it took away from from the reality of what transpired there and what our founders laid down for us and debated and and talked about and knew that when they signed those documents that they were signing a death warrant in essence that they had you know, a a a mark on them and would be sought after and you know just even even those who made it through the war, think about General Nathaniel Green, you know, shortly he he died of a heat stroke shortly after and did such powerful work there that really helped bring the the American Revolutionary War to closure And so it's just we can get entertained in into complacency and there's distractions, movies, there are there are things in motion about th these things aren't taught. If you again look at the Tim Barton video, you'll see what the a second grader you know knew and and can we do that, you know, as adults. And so just be cautious. about what you look at and and what you view and I encourage you there'll be links here. You you need to go see about the Constitution just like the Lord had me go see about the Constitution. So there's you know bigger questions as I was going through this be you know about yes who Who runs who owns our money? Who handles our money? And why are they handling our money? Why, you know, certain parts of history, why was there an income tax when we had tariffs and and what caused the the Great Depression and cause people to have to to give their gold up and and how come the gold was never given back? And it just those those things. And so Just the bigger question overall is who governs the affairs of men, you know, the government, money, institution, nations, right, people and I want to decree and declare that the earth is the Lord and ultimately he is the ruler, he is king. And so whether a government recognizes Him or not, whether a nation recognizes Him or not, whether an individual recognition. recognizes him or not. He is king and he is our great high priest. And so we are kings and priests. and have a responsibility to govern and to you know get involved in our our government and in voting, But ultimately the kingdom is his and he gave us a responsibility to occupy until he comes and if you've got, you know, one talent, don't worry it, right? Use it, you know, that type of thing. So I just want to encourage you, you know, this talking a lot about America, but if you're you're watching from a different nation, All the nations belong to the Lord. And so and He's the Lord has preappointed our times and boundaries so that we would know Him. It's all about it's all about knowing Him. And so I know Him, you know, know who's we are and so forth and and represent the King. He is King. And we need to represent Him. We need to be a voice in the public square. We need to be a voice in in the school room, in the school board meetings and and and so forth. And so from their generation to our generation and then, you know, now we have something in our hands. And so what are we going to hand to the next generation? And so don't take my word for it about these documents. Go see about it. Just like the Lord told me, go see about the Constitu go see about the Constitution. Again, w what are you doing? Lord, what is my part? And so we need to lock arms with w with what the Lord is doing. And so go see about it. You know, go see you know about worship and history and our founding documents and what is the Federal Reserve all about and, you know, the Constitution Center, the the the mint, what's what's happening with our money, you know. just just go see. Whether it's videos and these movies that are more documentaries, that type of thing, it go see. And so I just want to l let you know that the the the question is Lord what have you placed in my hands and and what is my part in my generation and and so For our next episode, I'm going to have y the next generation for me come and and speak with us. And so Crystal Tally is gonna be joining us for a conversation next time about her generation. she's gonna talk about the encouragement she has for the generation that's coming behind her. And one of the questions at the the the heart of Believe Again, we're gonna ask her, what gives you hope? So please join me for that and again check out the if you have time check out the the class that's tonight September the seventeenth and believe again, you know, so look again. Dream again, hope again, believe again. And so thank you for joining me and we will see you next time. God bless.