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God told Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands." God had too many when he had 32,000 and even 10,000 soldiers. So God reduced and reduced, then told Gideon it's enough when he had 300 people. For man, 32000 people were not enough, but for God it was too many. (Judges 7:2,4)

Man gathers people, finances, properties, etc. until he thinks it's big enough to start something, but God reduces people, finances, properties, etc. until it's small enough to start something. Man starts from what he has, but God starts from what we don't have. So man tries to gather more but God removes more. God can't do his work, not because of what we don't have, but because we do have too much.

King Saul tried to add his amour and sword onto David but David had more than enough with his sling and 5 smooth stones. So he had to take off Saul's amour and sword, otherwise he would have been killed by Goliath. Likewise I need to take off someone else's clothes, give away someone else's position and give up whatever God wants me to, so that God may start something new in me and through me.

God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and he took one of his ribs. Then God made a beautiful woman out of the broken rib. When we are sleeping, we are unable, but God works in us and through us wonderfully and beautifully.

God works through our resting but man works through our actions. In other words, when man works, man works; but when man rests, God works. God remembers our rest, but man remembers our actions. So we are working hard ceaselessly to be remembered by man, but if we want to be remembered by God, we need to rest first. Rest doesn't mean being lazy. True rest comes from trusting in God because if we don't trust in God, we cannot take rest. The work of God is not to strive, but to believe in the one who sent Jesus. (John 6:29)

[ News Update ]

1. The first mini-Forge School of Faith
We had our first mini-Forge School of Faith in January: two weeks in Wales and two weeks in the Middle East. A young lady, Seungae initiated this school and organised everything. We ended up with no Mathew, our friend the Messianic Jewish Rabbi; and no Rowland Evans, founder of 2 missionary movements in Wales, both of whom come to teach at our schools. God used four nameless young BLACKSMITHS amazingly to share their experiences in the Forge and they taught about PRAYER, REST, ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD, REDEMPTION & RESTORATION, etc.. Most of their teachings are so fresh and unique; I never heard them before. They all talked in English although in some cases English is not their first language.

2. New Journey with the One who is indispensable
Seven young people went to the Middle East for two weeks from the mini-Forge School of Faith in Wales. They went there without me as God had told me. It's the first time our team has gone out without me, so God has started a new thing in them and through them.

Three people's visas were turned down in Turkey, which they didn't expect at all. The E-country's government has changed the rules for getting visas and asked them to get a special authorised code from the foreign ministry, which takes at least 10 days. So the leader texted me about it but she told me that she was excited about the challenge.

Also the three people were a bit passive because the other 4 people have been the country before and they were leading the three new people. After their visa refusal, the 3 people changed their passive attitude into active action in faith. The next day they visited the consulate again and the officer gave a tip to get the visas quickly. It worked although they needed to apply it by faith using extra finances to fly into the capital city.

As the result of that they divided the team in two. Three people travelled by bus for 27 hours and 4 people travelled via one more country and took a flight. They got the visas and 7 of them met again amazingly in E-country. They had some new experiences with God; visited a new country, entered the country a new way and travelled further towards the east. 

3. The Forge House: A Spiritual Cave of Adullam
Recently God has brought a few broken and burnt out people to the Forge House. Two couples and two singles. God has been forging them and restoring them although it is not a quick process. In the forge fire, every metal is melted and forged whether broken or rusted or small or strong. God has reminded me that he wanted our honeymoon house to be a cave of Adullam where David's 400 men were gathered when David escaped from king Saul and Achish. We are not particularly recruiting the excellent and elite but the dregs who are in need and are coming to the cave of Adullam. We are learning to serve and to love them, so that God may turn them into the beautiful Bride of Christ and powerful warriors of Christ.

4. Hunger for the Fire: 80 years old lady like Moses
A few weeks ago, I received a text message from a friend of mine in England; “Is there any age limit in the Forge School of Faith?” She told me that she met an 80 year old lady and she is so hungry for the Lord. She wanted to participate the Forge School when she heard about it. I told my friend that there is no age limit in the Forge School, as there is none in the Kingdom of God. Moses was called by God to lead his people at the age of 80.

5. Baptism for Confirmation of Salvation and Transformation at Penllergaer
During the mini-Forge School, two people wanted to get baptised for in a freezing cold water. One of us had a dream and she saw a guy and one more person were baptised at Penllergaer Water Fall in her dream, which was confirmation for the baptism. It is very significant for me because in 2011, God confirmed the vision of equipping Jewish young people in Wales at the Water Fall in order to go out to the harvest fields. One young gentleman and one young lady were baptised. It was freezing cold but our hearts were on fire with God.

[ Prayer & Intercession ]

1. Putin's visit Egypt: China, Russia, Iran & Egypt
On 9^th February 2015, Russian President Mr. Putin visited Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo. Both men are seeking to boost bilateral ties, with Mr Putin emphasising Egypt's status as Russia's "trusted partner". Mr Putin also suggested the two countries would discuss ending the use of the US dollar in bilateral trade, switching to national currencies instead. Russia is reportedly seeking to increase arms sales to Egypt, which reacted angrily in 2013 to a decision by the US to suspend some deliveries following the crackdown on Morsi supporters. When the Russian defence and foreign ministers visited Cairo in November 2014, Russian media said the two countries were close to signing a $3bn (£2bn) deal for MiG-29 fighters and attack helicopters.

Last May, Putin visited China to make a big trade deal and Chinese vice-president visited Sochi in Russia as well. Also last May, China and Russia had a navy military drill together in the Mediterranean Sea and Russia has offered to build several nuclear power-stations in Iran. So we need to be aware of Russia's role and her movements in these last days.

2. Islam needs to be Revolutionised?
February 2015, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has conducted an interview with the German newspaper "Der Spiegel" in which he called the IS(Islamic State) and the Muslim Brotherhood essentially one and the same and reiterated his call for a sweeping reform of religious ideas.

He also tackled Islamism directly, saying, "I propose removing wrong and distorted ideas from the religious discourse." This echoed his speech to Al-Azhar University, the pre-eminent seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world in which he called on the clerics to challenge the ideology behind global jihadism. He told the clerics, "We need to revolutionize our religion."

Al-Azhar(= Islamic University in Cairo) clerics have so far responded tepidly to his overtures. They issued a statement after the immolation of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kassabeh by the Islamic State forbidding burning people alive. Head of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayib stated that, "Islam forbids killing of the innocent human soul ... It forbids mutilating the human soul by burning or in any other way even during wars against an enemy that attacks you." Sheikh al-Tayib also said the action of ISIS in burning Moaz al-Kassabeh "... requires the punishment mentioned in the Koran for these corrupt oppressors who fight against God(Alla) and his prophet: killing, crucifixion or chopping of the limbs."

Roman Catholic church has been trying to embrace Islam and recent years Protestant church has been working with Islam as Chrislam (= Christianity + Islam). However we need to understand that Islam doesn't recognise the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jesus as the Son of God, and His death and resurrection. Also Islam is not the religion of peace, rather the religion of violence.

3. Egypt bombed Islamic State targets in Libya after beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians
A video emerged on Sunday 15^th February, showing militants forcing a group of men to the ground and decapitating them. The kidnapped Egyptian workers, all Coptic Christians, were seized in separate incidents in December and January from the coastal town of Sirte in Libya, under the control of Islamist groups.

Egypt declared seven days of national mourning after the release of the video. In a televised address, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described IS as "inhuman criminal killers". "Egypt and the whole world are in a fierce battle with extremist groups carrying extremist ideology and sharing the same goals." he said. He later visited St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo to offer his condolences to Coptic Pope.

In the Middle East has been divided among Muslims as Sunni and Shia from the early days of Islam. But now Egyptian president ordered air-strike in the eastern Libya where there is the IS militants. So they are fighting each other among Sunnis; Egyptian Muslims are Sunni and IS Islamist too. They are divided. However, we need to know the spirit of Islam otherwise we might be deceived by the political plays. This is the spirit of deception, violence and division. Muslim leaders and Hitler worked together to destroy Jews in WW II and even now the spirit is working to divide and to destroy the people of God; Jews and Christians. But the love of God is stronger than hatred and never fails.

4. "The Division of Sunni and Shia Islam"
The main difference between Sunnis and Shias lies in their interpretation of the rightful succession of leadership after the death of the prophet Muhammad. The declaration of faith to which all Muslims assent is this: There is no God but Allah, whose prophet is Muhammad. However, the Shiites add an extra phrase at the end: and Ali is the friend of God. Because the Shiites passionately attest to Ali being the successor to Muhammad.

Among the close disciples of Muhammad was Ali, his son-in-law, who was most familiar with his teachings. However, when Muhammad died in A.D. 632, the followers bypassed Ali, whom the Shiites claim as the rightful successor to Muhammad. Instead, a cousin of Muhammad’s third successor, Uthman (A.D. 644-656), called Mu’awiya Umayyad, declared himself caliph. When he died in A.D. 680, his son Yazid usurped the caliphate instead of Ali’s youngest son, Hussein. The feud between rightful successors or caliphs was fought at the battle of Karbala. Hussein was slain, but his sole son, Ali, survived and continued the line of succession. Yazid, however, gave rise to the Ummayad line of succession, from which modern-day Sunnism arose.

As for their beliefs, both Sunni and Shia Muslims agree on the five pillars of Islam. While the Sunnites honour Ali, they do not venerate their imams as having the gift of divine intercession. Sunnites conduct community prayers and believe they can have a direct relationship with God. Of the two, Shiite Muslims have a burning desire to engage in martyrdom and believe that suffering is a means of spiritual cleansing. They dwell on the martyrdoms of Ali and Hussein, especially over the ten-day period of Ashura. Also noteworthy is the veneration that Shiites give to the imams, believing they are endowed with infallibility in their interpretation of the Qur’an.

In terms of actual practice, the Sunni Muslims pray five times a day but Shia Muslims only pray three times: morning, lunchtime and sunset.

Iran is overwhelmingly Shia - 89 percent. Shia Muslims also form a majority of the population of Yemen, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and 60 percent of the population of Iraq. There are also sizeable Shia communities along the east coast of Saudi Arabia and in Lebanon. The well-known guerrilla organization Hezbollah, which forced the Israelis out of southern Lebanon in 2000, is Shia. Worldwide, Shias constitute 10 to 15 percent of the overall Muslim population, but they make up the majority of the radical, violent element of Islam. But interestingly the IS(Islamic State) is Sunni.

1. IS(Islamic State; Sunni Muslim) militant are drawing new map in the Middle East with the spirit of death: We haven't touched physically the areas where IS has been drawing a new map with the spirit of death. But we have flown, driven, and walked the areas where Babylonians and Persians reigned. God told me that as we are walking and moving by faith, he is drawing a new map of the Kingdom of God. We have seen the signs of new Esther, Mordecai, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Nehemiah etc. rising where they reigned in the past. IS invading the Middle East with the spirit of death but we are invading with the spirit of life and love.

2. Pray for Longer-Term Visa: One lady was held at the UK Immigration when we were returning last time because she visited the UK 4 times within 4 months. The officers were suspicious of her. They were going to deport her but kindly gave her 10 days. People would like to come to know God and themselves in order to prepare themselves to serve here and to go wherever God sends them. At the moment there is no way to invite people longer-term. Please pray for it.

3. Pray for Messianic Jewish young people into the Forge Fire: God is bringing a much bigger picture of this Forge vision. I cannot perceive right now but I can sense it. God has been preparing people as blacksmiths in the Forge for the next movement of God. God has been healing people physically, spiritually and emotionally and equipping people. Please pray that Messianic Jewish young people may be released into the Forge fire in Wales and beyond for the next movement of God.

 Shalom Love!

Qday LEE
on behalf of the Forge family

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