Embracing the Dream

National Leadership Gathering, David Damien, Watchmen for the Nations - Vision

Before the foundation of the world, God had a Dream. It was a dream of a family and a home.

God created the earth in all its majesty and wonder and within the earth He layed a jewel of beauty – a garden. And the Lord God took the man and woman that He had created in His very own image and likeness and made the garden their home. And there He rested in intimate fellowship with His family.

Then the enemy came. Through lies, he deceived first Eve, then Adam and by their rebellion, sin was born. With sin came fear and deception and worst of all, separation from the Father.

But none of this changed the Dream. Knowing the end from the beginning, the Lord already had a plan. First came the Law with its prescriptions to cover the sin and then instructions for a tabernacle, then for a temple. At least in this way, He could dwell closer to His family.

Yet, all of these were just shadows of the ultimate plan. The Father would send His only-begotten Son to earth and Jesus, who being the very nature of God,would empty Himself of all strength and power to become obedient to death on the cross. As the one died for the many, the power of sin and death would be destroyed and Jesus would be layed as the Chief Cornerstone of a new temple while every member of God’s household would be transformed into living stones to be fashioned by the Lord Himself into His holy habitation. Then, as Jesus prayed in John 17, this family, this dwelling place of God, completely united and filled with His glory, would become a great light shining in the darkness showing all those who were lost the way home.

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We believe that we have entered into a new season in the Church globally, where the sovereign hand of the Lord is beginning to align and position His body in a way we have never experienced before. God is fitly joining and building us together to become a Holy Habitation that will be filled with His Presence as He always intended.

We feel that a main mandate for Watchmen in this season is to see that the principles of the Kingdom that the Lord has taught us in our journey in the nation, are modeled and lived in a practical way in every aspect of our lives – as individuals and in our families, churches, cities and provinces. Our heart is that in every province/region or city, trusted leaders would walk together corporately and provide a safe spiritual covering under which believers can be called together to worship and wait upon the Lord and hear what the Spirit is saying on a regular and continuous basis. And when the Lord speaks we will obey with an attitude of whatever…until – whatever it takes until the glory of the Lord fills our province/region or city.

We know God has burdened many leaders across the nation with this same dream of God’s heart – of a Body united, in complete submission to the Lord, waiting for Him to speak and following wholeheartedly His commands. And we sensed the Lord was telling us our next step as Watchmen was to provide these dreamers with an opportunity to gather together to connect, share and seek the Lord together as one family.

The Embracing the Dream gathering is an invitation-only national gathering for leaders from any sphere of ministry (church, business, politics, education, media, arts), denomination and generation. It is a call for those who believe the time has come to invest our whole lives to see the Dream of God’s heart realized – the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus in John 17. It is a call to those whose hearts are wearied by their individual attempts to fulfill a heavenly dream through human effort and gifting and who are striving to enter into the promised rest. It is a call to those who have recognized that the servant is not greater than the master and that a kingdom founded on sacrifice will only be perpetuated by sacrifice.

Whether or not we will be attending the gathering this summer, we all have a part to play in establishing the canopy of seeking the Lord in our nation. Let us all commit afresh, as individuals, families and churches to seek the Lord intentionally in every aspect of our lives and ministries. Let us work to build relationships of love and commitment within the body of Christ in whatever sphere of responsibility the Lord has given us. And let us stand in the gap for the leaders in our city, region and province, asking the Lord to release a greater measure of His longing for unity and oneness in their hearts.

And we ask also that you would pray and contend with us as the Lord calls us back to the place of "original intent" for our nation, Quebec City on its 400th anniversary. Let us agree that as we posture ourselves in humility and brokenness, emptying ourselves of our own strength and abilities, He will hear our cry and grant us the grace to lay down our own dreams to embrace the greater dream of His heart, one family walking in a divine unity that will cause the world to believe.