RICK JOYNER is the founder and executive director of Morning Star ministries in America. He is also the editor of the Morning Star Journal and the new youth journal The Message. This incisive look at the prophetic dimensions of music is from his book Mobilizing The Army Of God.

Those who choose the way of the Lord must walk in the way of humility, sacrifice and patience to attain the treasures that will last forever. "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:12) Those who promote themselves seeking quick success God will not promote, but those who humble themselves and walk the way of patience will be anointed and mightily used by God. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time." (1 Peter 5:6)

One reason that such striving has been able to gain a foothold in the church, and especially in many music ministries, is because they have not been given their worthy wages. The church has not looked out for their interests, and the Christian music industry has exploited them. We cannot serve God and mammon and mammon has become a primary motivation in the Christian music industry. With some this is greed; with others it is simply insecurity and the lack of grace in handling "market forces". The Lord begins judgment with his own house (see 1 Peter 4:17), and he is about to release a James 5 judgment against the Christian music industry: "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the labourers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure: you have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." (James 5:1-5)

This judgment is partly the result of the labourers not receiving their worthy wages. The world's system that was adopted by much of the Christian music industry robs those with the anointing, such as the songwriters, musicians and singers, so that they are propelled into lifestyles / that utterly sap the anointing they were given. Because of this the entire church is robbed of the gift.

The judgment has already begun as the "riches have rotted and your garments have become moth eaten" First, the resources for perpetuating the industry will not just dry up; they will become "rotten". That is, they will come from evil, worldly sources. Because the Lord will remove his grace and anointing, even the most loyal Christian followers will begin to look at the whole of Christian music as a worn out garment that needs to be discarded.

The music and the anointing that the Lord is about to share with those who can receive it does have unprecedented commercial value. With the present system it would be tragically prostituted, and he is not going to trust us with it until we get the process right. We cannot use the world's system of compensation for artists and others, but must seek the Lord's ways, which will promote such equity, justice and grace that it will help to change the world's system.

The first step toward repentance, which will result in the Lord's endorsement, is to return to our first love - worshipping him. Because all music promotes worship in some form, if our hearts are not right we will pervert the power of this anointing. Our music must promote the worship of the Father, obedience to the Spirit and the witness of Jesus.

If the Christian music establishment does not repent, and return to its first love, its lamp stand will soon be removed and what light it now has will go out. When we do repent, we will find the greatest desire of our heart, peace, and even greater resources for the extravagant worship of the King. Proverbs 11:24-25 declares: "There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered."

The anointing that is coming upon the Lord's minstrels is a weapon too powerful to be entrusted to the immature, the impatient, or the self-seeking. Those who have built their ministries upon the ways of the world will soon see them collapse. Those who build upon the proper foundation will be pillars in a mighty new Tabernacle of David that is about to be raised up so that all of the nations may seek the presence of the Lord.

The whole church has a responsibility to the music ministry. Christian musicians must be recognised as true ministers and they should be spiritually equipped and supported as such. When they go out to minister they should be sent out with prayer and sustained with continual intercession just as any other missionary would be sent out. There is a mighty army of music ministers who are about to be anointed with the prophetic power to capture the attention of a generation. A great opportunity is about to present itself to those who have the foresight and courage to recognise it.

Let us not be timid, but let us be wise and make ourselves utterly dependent upon the presence and anointing of the Lord. Some of the best musicians will not qualify for the new ministry because of their pride and dependence on their natural talents. The Lord will bless a devotion to excellence for his glory. And he accepts the practice of his minstrels as worship, but the anointing of the Holy Spirit is far more valuable than the greatest natural talents. Those who seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit even more than they practice their music, and learn to minister to the Lord with prayer and fasting, have chosen the greater part and will receive it.

Rick Joyner has written many books currently distributed in the UK and available from Christian bookshops. If yon have any difficulty locating a title contact: Perivale Christian Distributors on 0181 9982940