Celebrating 46 years in ministry

This year… look to sing your song in the night and if He sings over you…

then sing together in intimacy.

Look for the lyric in the midst of all the noise.

Look for your harmony as you sing with grace in His heart’s melody.

If you worship… He will come… He “inhabits” the praise of His people.

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GIVE US THIS DAY – OUR DAILY BREAD:

“The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts musters the host of the battle.”

Isaiah 13:4

When “NOT” to rebuild

Do NOT Rebuild…

I am going to give you a passage of scripture.  If you have some time today,   taste and digest this warm bread.  Consult the Lord on what was written… and take the time to “discuss” with Him the meaning for YOUR day.  This entire text of passage is nine verses,  but today I want to dive into just the first of those nine verses.

Luke 18:35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: Luke 18:36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

First of all,  we know that Jesus was (actual true story…) traveling NEAR Jericho.  So the first thing we must look at is that city.   What do you remember about it in scripture?

Many know about it being the first conquest to the possession of the promised land.   A “breaking of the matrix,” if you will into the birthing place of promise.

We remember the song,  “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho.” We remember walls coming down and the city being destroyed.   We also remember that there was a command NOT to take anything out of that city except the riches that were to be placed into the treasury of the Lord.  (Josh 6:24)

What we tend to forget is a little known verse concerning the “rebuilding” of that city.  A rebuilding of what God wanted destroyed.  God wanted the last memory to be that of destruction and freedom.  He wanted no new memories of that place to “replace” what had happened on that infamous day. God gave a commandment in the book of Joshua about rebuilding that which God destroys.

Jos 6:26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

Jericho.  Let’s look at it’s name.  lunar. Moon. A pleasant fragrance. Quick understanding.  The world’s moon.  This world’s time.  This world’s sweet smell.

It was the most important city in the Jordan valley ( Numbers 22:1 ; 34:15 ), and the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan.

So here we see in the gospel of Luke,  Jesus is not just passing through a city,  but He is revisiting a command put down by His Father, some 1400 years earlier.  Had God’s word changed?  Had the command been given a latter amendment?  No.  It didn’t.

And here we see the Son of that Commander as He views that MOON… the “lesser light to rule the day.”  He smells the aromas that have been replanted and the sins that have been rebuilt.  He sees a place that is very appealing to the flesh.  He sees a city that has been rebuilt with man’s understanding and justification.

And close to that city sits the picture of man who not only rebuilds those waste places, but desires to be there.  The man Jesus encounters has some unwritten characteristics that we really MUST look at.

We see the characteristics as follows:

• He wasn’t actually “IN” Jericho, but was close. Here was a man who chose to profit from the places of sin – all the while saying…       I’m not actually living in it.
• He was blind – but he in fact, knew where he was.
• He was a beggar. He took from the profits of an unclean area and ingested things from an unclean land.
• He was able to smell. Jericho was fragrant and sin at times can smell oh so sweet.
• He was able to hear. A very important thing in coming away from the curse.       Also a sense that will remove any excuse of ignorance. Very ironic since it was a command that God spoke in the time of Joshua that people chose to ignore to hear.
• He was able to speak. Our voices can used for good or for evil. It can also be used unto salvation through confession.

This man was in a place where his very life was hanging in the balance and the presence of God – as it got closer to him began to call to him.   With an ear that will hear and a mouth that can speak – God can take us from the brink of Hell to the realms of glory.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

There are many “dangers, toils and snares” in this life,  but in the midst of those, a needful reminder is NOT to rebuild that which God has destroyed in your life.  When HE burns bridges,  don’t exasperate your time and energy to find a way back over to where you are not supposed to go.  Stop and realize that it was forbidden for a reason.

When you are too close to the world and it’s wonderful sounds and smells,  you can be blinded as to where you are supposed to be.  When that happens,  His presence comes and demands a choice be made.  This man made a right choice even in the midst of a very alluring place of sin.

It doesn’t matter where you are today.  It doesn’t matter if you are in the middle of a rebuilding project to get you back to the world.  It doesn’t matter how you got there.  If you are in the wrong place…  spiritually, morally, emotionally, physically – listen for His presence and when He comes close – call out.  There is nothing too devastating for Him.  There is no place that His grace can not go.  There is no place you are in, that He can’t remove you from.

Especially when you have hidden in a dark portion of the garden behind branches of fig and leaves of shame… His love drives Him to find you.   When He does…  you can either choose to stay hidden or come into the light of healing eyes.

{Jesus}

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Rosh Hashanah Sept. 11-13

(Scroll down to find what this new year of 5787 will hold!!!)

 

{Jesus is Lord}

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And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. – II Kings 6:16-17

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If you want to read our daily devotional, REREWARD, click dropdown menu: Rereward – a devotional

 

The Lion of Judah and our soon-coming King

A song written and sung by Pastor Mark Smith – lead vocal and guitar

Accompaniment piano and vocal by Pastor Mark DeLap

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Where are we in the scheme of things?

2026 in the Gregorian Calendar – or for a more true look at where we are in time, the current year in the Jewish (Hebrew) calendar is 5787. 

Rosh Hashanah 2026 Details

• Start: Sundown on Friday, September 11, 2026

• End: Nightfall on Sunday, September 13, 2026

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

We’re at a key moment of transition as we transition the Hebrew year of 5787! 

The Hebrew year 5787 begins at sundown on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, and carries unique spiritual themes of joy, rest, and a call to deeper spiritual awakening.

Spiritual Themes and Significance of 5787

• A Year Surrounded by Shabbat: Rosh Hashana for 5787 lands on Shabbat. Jewish tradition notes that a 385-day year of this length divides evenly into 55 weeks and is bookended by days of rest. This imparts a profound atmosphere of tranquillity, holiness, and joy (simcha).
• In traditional numerology and commentary, the value of the phrase “and you shall rejoice in your festival” connects to 787, emphasizing an overarching spirit of divine pleasure and celebration throughout the year. 
• The Year of Paz (Gold): Some contemporary spiritual teachings associate 5787 with the Hebrew word Paz (refined gold), viewing the transition into this year as a time for personal refinement, transformation, and aligning one’s life vessel to receive greater purpose.
• Awakening and Identity: Prophetic and contemplative reflections on 5787 emphasize it as a “wake-up call” year—urging individuals to move past spiritual complacency, remember their foundational identity, and use the power of focused speech and truth.
• Universal Judgment and Renewal: As with every Rosh Hashana, 5787 marks the anniversary of the creation of humanity and the moment when all inhabitants of the world pass before the Almighty for reflection and judgment, prompting a season of profound return (teshuvah).

Letter Breakdown: It is spelled with four letters:

• ת (Tav – 400): Sign, seal, covenant, or completion.
• ש (Shin – 300): Fire or the divine presence.
• פ (Peh – 80): The mouth, speech, or expression (representing the current decade of the 5080s).
• ז (Zayin – 7): The seventh letter, pictographically representing a sword, weapon, or spiritual warfare, as well as rest and completion.

Unique Properties of 5787

• Leap Year: 5787 is a Hebrew leap year (shanah meuberet) with two months of Adar (Adar I and Adar II).
• Length: It is a maximum-length year spanning 385 days with 55 weeks, meaning it both begins and concludes on Shabbat.

1. 1. The Decade of the Mouth (פ – Peh)

• Symbolism: The letter Peh literally means “mouth.”
• Prophetic Meaning: The entire decade of the 5,780s focuses on what you speak, decree, and declare into existence. It is a time where words hold heightened spiritual weight, emphasizing either alignment with truth or the danger of destructive speech.

2. 2. The Year of the Sword and Rest (ז – Zayin)

• Symbolism: The letter Zayin represents the number 7. Its ancient pictograph is a sword or a crowned weapon.
• Prophetic Meaning: As the final letter in the year’s acronym, Zayin introduces two contrasting yet connected themes:
  • Spiritual Warfare: The sword represents cutting through deception, separating truth from lies, and fighting spiritual battles through divine decrees.
  • Sabbath Rest and Completion: Because seven is the number of the Sabbath, it also represents a year of entering into divine rest, reaping the fruits of labor, and reaching a point of spiritual wholeness after a time of conflict.

3. 3. The Framing Letters (תש – Tav, Shin)

• Symbolism: Tav (400) and Shin (300) together mean “You shall return” or “It will be.”
• Prophetic Meaning: Together, they form the foundation of the era, signifying a season of global turning, return to spiritual roots, and the shaking of old foundations to make way for the new.

Summary of the Prophetic Theme

Prophetic teachers summarize 5787 as “The Year the Mouth Weaponizes Truth.” It is interpreted as a season where speaking God’s word acts like a sharp sword to cut through chaos, defeat spiritual opposition, and ultimately establish a state of divine rest and order.

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I believe this is the heart of our ministry…  I pray it always remains as such:

 

  Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. ~Jeremiah 33:6

 

 

 

 

The mountains let us know that they came before us…

And they knew we were coming.

If we don’t praise God, these very rocks will cry out.

We are a full-gospel, Spirit-filled ministry… located somewhere between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina.

We are a broken ministry – Matthew 21:44 “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Streetfire Ministries was incorporated in 1987 in Iowa and was transferred to a Michigan based corporation in May of 2009.  In 2017, God had put on our hearts to move to the edge of the prairie and transferred our  corporation to Iowa where the corporation was founded. The vision is to be a part of an international spiritual medical center that is 24/7 – ministering to the hearts, souls, minds and bodies of those in need.

UPDATE: In 2024 the ministry moved to where Mark was learning again to be a tentmaker as well as an encouragement to those around him.

This ministry was birthed in a prayer room in Minneapolis in 1980. It has been a venue that allows me to reach out to those in need of a place to gather and a local ministry within the parameters of a church. It also is a dual-role ministry that affords me the challenge of finding secular work outside of the ministry where I am able to make a difference in the lives of those who are unchurched in the community I am planted in.

We strive to be a ministry that is not motivated or dictated by monetary means. We pray that you will be welcomed and ministered to – regardless of your income, your race or your spiritual condition.

There will be no Christian infomercials or pleas for money – no hidden agendas – Freely we’ve received and freely will we give.

You will never hear us pleading for your donation,

or as the Bible says… “begging bread”.

 

We are seeking to be a house of prayer for all nations as read recently publically by President Donald J. Trump from the oval office.

We stand upon a cornerstone scripture found in II Chronicles 7:14-16…

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.”

**Send us your email and you will receive a daily word from Pastor Mark!!!**

prayerrequest@streetfireministries.faith

 

We’re not trying to change the whole world, but through us, we are hoping that He changes us… and our little corner this big beautiful world of His.

I love the quote:  “Oh God, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.”

– A Breton Fisherman’s Prayer

 

This month’s chosen video:.

 

If you listen to any videos this year don’t miss this one by Jim Garlow:

Oh my… you will be blessed… filmed at a minister’s conference at Dr. Jack Hayford’s church in Van Nuys, CA.

 

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Please visit Mark DeLap’s Fine Arts & Photography page at: markdelap.com

 

Experience just a little of the wild ride and how Streetfire Ministries is coming full circle:

A Time of New Beginnings: Streetfire Ministries begins to grow:

Our first official Streetfire sign erected in the early ’80s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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