Influencing the Seven Mountain of the Society

the Seven Mountains of Cultural Influence as:

1.  Family
2.  Religion
3.  Education
4.  Arts and Entertainment
5.  Media
6.  Economics and Business
7.  Government

I hope that you were able to decide which mountain or mountains that you primarily feel a calling.  Now, I want to get you thinking about preparing for your mountain.

What are the prerequisites for influencing for mountain?

What does it take to gain credibility in your mountain?

What education and training do you need for your mountain?

What experience do you need to effectively serve your mountain?

How many years is it going to take before you will have a recognizable voice in your mountain?

Who are the major influencers in your mountain that you need to develop relationships with in the next five years?

Who are the Kingdom Believers that you need to develop connections and relationships with in the next year?

Who are the Kingdom and secular mentors in your mountain that you need to learn under?

Have you prayed, fasted, read the Word, and sought the face of the Lord about your calling to the specific mountain of cultural influence?

Do you have a small group of believers that you are a part of that can pray for you as you seek to enter your mountain?

I pray that you use these questions to begin preparing yourself to serve in your mountain.

The Favor of the Lord is one of the most important things a child of God can understand about their identity in Christ.

In Genesis 37:3, we read where Israel (Jacob’s new name given to him by Yahweh) loved Joseph and made him a special coat.

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic (a full length robe).” (NASB)

We see in this verse that Jacob loved Joseph so much because he was a son given to him in his old age. Another reason Joseph was loved so much by Jacob was because he was the firstborn son of his favorite wife, Rachel. Jacob had been deceived by Laban and Leah, and now Jacob finally has a son with the wife of his choosing. Jacob had thought that his wife was barren and probably had almost given up. One day, the Lord heard her cry, and answered with His gift named Joseph.

The Lord favored Joseph as well. It is interesting to me when people say that it is not fair for God to favor someone. My response is that He sees their end from their beginning and knows how their life will be pleasing to Him. Why would He not favor someone who He has seen serve Him faithfully all the days of their lives? Why would not God favor someone who will serve, sacrifice, provide, and forgive like Joseph did?

If you feel a calling to the Joseph Mantle, and you feel that your path is to serve God in the Marketplace, then you must realize that this same coat of favor is on your shoulders as well. The Lord has been speaking about the Joseph calling for many years now, but even more so in the last five to seven years. Have you seen this coat on your shoulders? Has someone else been praying for you and seen this coat of favor on you? Maybe they have not seen a coat, but have they mentioned God’s favor on your life? If so, the coat of favor is there on your shoulders. If you have received prophetic words about being a Joseph or having a Marketplace calling, then you also are favored by the Lord.

Favor is like nothing else in the Kingdom. You can do a lot of things right on your own through obedience and sowing and reaping. However, it does not compare to when God releases favor on your life. Favor elevates you out of the pit of murder, hatred, and rejection by your brothers. Favor elevates you from being a slave to being over the whole household. Favor takes you from the condemned in prison to being the warden of the prison. Favor takes you before kings and allows you to demonstrate the favor before them as you tell them the meaning of their dreams and give answers to problems only God can solve.

Ask the Lord to show you the coat of favor on your shoulders. Pray and look for it in the spirit. See it being put on you by the Lord Himself. Ask the Lord to open up the windows of Heaven for you. Ask the Lord to release His favor over your life, your household, and your marketplace calling.

In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission(YWAM), developed a God-given, world-changing strategy. Their mandate: Bring Godly change to a nation by reaching its seven spheres, or mountains, of societal influence.

They concluded that in order to truly transform any nation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, these seven facets of society must be reached: Religion, Family,Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment and Business.

The Reformation Prayer Network’s primary goal is to be a catalyst, through prayer and righteous activism, which will bring change to these areas of societal influence.

1. RELIGION

Every society has some type of belief in a superior being or beings. In the east, religions tend to be polytheistic (many gods) or outright idolatrous (such as Hinduism and Buddhism). Although these religions are thousands of years old, they nonetheless continue to thrive today. In the west, Christianity and Catholicism are predominant, but postmodern views are increasingly being accepted and the concept of God is being rejected. This is especially true in Europe.

The Christian Church is described in the Greek language as the ecclesia. Literally translated, the word ecclesia means “governing body.” Although we don’t condone theocracies, this translation suggests that the Church should have great influence in all other spheres that make up a society. With a plethora of categorized religions around the world, it’s the Church’s responsibility to reach the lost with the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ, and expand the Kingdom in ministerial efforts, both nationally and internationally.

2. FAMILY

In any functional society, the family is the “building block” of the community. Throughout the Bible, you will find familial examples that portray how we ought to live our lives today. God desires that men, women, and children within a family be united as one in His love. After all, He is the ultimate Father (Romans 8:14-17).

The families of the United States and the Entire world have been under constant and prolonged attack. Today, the assailants are fatherlessness, divorce (50% rate in secular and Christian marriages), abuse, homosexual marriage, pornography, and other negative influences have brought great dysfunction to American life. God is calling fathers and mothers (both spiritual and biological) to bring order to the chaos that the enemy has unleashed against families in America. He also wants to bring healing to marriages and relationships within families in order to maintain a moral foundation for children in the future to stand upon.

3. EDUCATION

At one time the education system of America unapologetically incorporated the Bible, prayer to the God of the Bible, and biblical values in every aspect of school life. Not coincidentally, this system produced a people that produced the most powerful and prosperous nation the earth has ever seen.

Now, the children of our nation are inundated with liberal ideologies, atheistic teaching and postmodern principles in our public schools and in most universities (including many Christian institutions). Put simply; they are being indoctrinated with often false, biased and anti-biblical information.

A re-introduction of biblical truth and Bible-centric values is the key to renewal and restoration in America’s failing educational system.

4. GOVERNMENT

Proverbs 14:34 states that, “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Many times, as exemplified in the Old Testament, a nation’s moral standards are dependent on those exhibited by its leaders (or predominant political party). While each individual is responsible for his or her own sins; the fact remains that people are greatly influenced by those moral (or lack thereof) that popular leaders adopt.

The progressive liberal agenda, empowered by well-known men and women in the arts and entertainment industries, have made significant gains in the political arena over the past few decades. In fact, many liberal groups, such as the ACLU, seek to remove anything related to God or Christianity from the governmental and educational systems because of a misapplied interpretation of the phrase, “separation of church and state.” We must see a shift in this arena in order to preserve the Christian heritage that America was founded upon. The goal is to put in place righteous political leaders that will positively affect all aspects of government.

5. MEDIA

The media mountain includes news sources such as radio, TV news stations, newspapers, Internet news and opinion (blog) sites and etc. The media has the potential to sway popular opinion on current issues based upon its reporting, which is not always truthful or accurate. In the 2008 elections, the liberal “elite” media played a vital role, especially in the Presidential race. Their generally supportive and positive reporting greatly influenced the outcome.

There has been a rise in Christian news services, which is needed. However, to bring transformation to the mountain of media, Christians who are gifted for and called into this type of work must be willing to report righteously and truthfully in the secular marketplace.

6. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

In this mountain we find some of the most influential forces shaping our society. Music, filmmaking, television, social media, and the performing arts drive the cultural tastes, values and standards of a nation’s citizens, particularly its youth.

With a heavy reliance on the strong appeal of sex, drugs and alcohol, the arts and entertainment industries wield significant influence. The body of Christ needs powerful, righteous men and women who are not afraid to take their God-given talent into the arts and entertainment arenas. People ready to further His purposes, while impacting those who are lost in darkness and would not otherwise be interested in any kind of Christian message in traditional forms.

7. BUSINESS

The ability to literally create wealth through ingenuity, enterprise, creativity and effort and is a God-given gift and a universal impulse. The markets and economic systems that emerge whenever people are free to pursue buying and selling become the lifeblood of a nation. This includes anything from farms to small businesses to large corporations.

Of course this realm is prone to corruption through idolatry, greed and covetousness. In response, the Church must embrace its responsibility to train up those who are called into the marketplace to manage businesses and provide leadership with integrity and honesty. We believe it is the Lord’s will to make his people prosperous and that He desires for His Church to use its wealth to finance the work of Kingdom expansion. Simply put: Prosperity with a purpose.