City Appointed_Winning a City for God

  CITY APPOINTED

  Winning a City for God

  a novel by

  MICHAEL BURROWS

  A CHRISTIAN FANTASY/REALITY NOVEL

  PRESENTING PROPHETIC INSIGHT

  INTO SAVING A CITY

  © 2017 Michael Burrows

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or journal.

  First Printing: November 2017

  This book is dedicated to

  my beautiful family and to all those who love

  and seek the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, who know

  that there is much more to life than what can

  be seen with the natural eye.

  1.

  Foundations

  The girl skidded down another storm water drain and landed with a splash beneath the city. She looked down at the ankle-deep water covering the stone surface on which she was standing. Eerie lighting danced on the ripples created by the displacement of the waters. The teenager checked herself over. Her boots would keep her feet dry enough. The light-weight armour she was wearing seemed to be unscathed by the slide. The locator strapped to her arm looked to be still operational. She could move on.

  ‘They depend on me. I can’t fail. I have to get to the end,’ she thought to herself. But then another thought entered her mind, ‘How far away is it?’ The unknown made her feel a little nervous.

  Then, out of instinct, she lifted her thoughts towards God, ‘I know you will help me. You are right here with me and have given me the ability to complete this. You have equipped me with all that I need.’ As she chose to trust, her confidence rose.

  A golden eerie glow coming from somewhere in the distance illuminated her surroundings. She could see the spiritual structure of the foundations of her city. The expanse was like a giant cathedral with pillars that towered above her. These huge pillars that held up the city were equally spaced, each bearing an equivalent burden of the weight of the earth above. They looked old, worn by time, but held an ancient beauty, crafted by some primordial wisdom and skill. The pillars obstructed her view from being able to see clearly to the ends of the expanse. There was nothing to help indicate the direction that she should take because her field of vision was filled with the same sand-coloured architecture wherever she looked. The rows of pillars seemed to have no end. Golden waves of light glided over the stonework. The dancing lines created by the light reflecting off the surface of the water made it difficult to perceive distance.

  Focusing on the dark shadows that cut across the waters formed by the pillars helped to anchor her vision. The shadows maintained their depth and weren’t confused by the drifting reflections. These same shadows would help to conceal her presence as she travelled under the city.

  The girl hesitated for a moment longer to admire the pillars that branched off at the top, creating interlocking patterns on the roof.

  “This looks amazing,” she said under her breath as she brushed the hair back from her face with her hand. She had never seen this kind of elaborate craftsmanship on such a huge scale before. ‘Strange to have such beautiful design work underneath a city where few people will ever see it.’ She took a deep breath and exhaled. Droplets of perspiration were appearing on her forehead. It was warm under her armour. She took a step.

  Suddenly she heard some loose rocks fall to her right and a scurrying of claws. The girl lunged to the left and rolled onto some stonework that lay above the waterline, barely escaping her attacker’s sword as it slashed downwards, striking the platform and producing a mass of sparks. It was a near miss that almost resulted in a slice to her leg. She drew her sword, with no time to think as the demon blade swung through the air again in a wild attempt at her throat. She stumbled backward and hit the wall behind her hard. Her sword clattered against the stones just out of reach as she slumped to the ground. The demon sprung forward seizing the moment. It stood above her with a look of evil victory. The scaly blue creature was a construction of bones and spines that looked as hard as steel. It seemed to be partially exoskeletal with armour-like plates growing over its shoulders and thighs. Spiny ridges crisscrossed its torso like metal strapping holding it together. The girl looked up, knowing that there was nothing she could do to escape the demon blade as it was raised high, poised for the deathly blow. Its tiny green piercing eyes exuded evil intent but also displayed a sense of fear and unbelief as if dubious that it was actually in a position to have victory over this Christian girl.

  She locked her gaze on the demon eyes, strangely feeling no fear. Even though the beast stood in a place of imminent victory, its menacing eyes seemed to betray it to defeat, unable to accept that it could have triumphed. Feeling fearless, but also helpless, the teenager whispered a prayer, ‘God you must help me now!’

  At that moment, time stopped, the scene froze. The demon stood, locked in a timeless state. The girl also froze in timelessness.

  In other parts of the city, the other two teams were unaware of their friend’s impending fate, immersed in the personal missions set before them. They could offer no support. The angel that had been trailing the girl from the beginning, also frozen in time, looked on with grave concern.

  A prompting echoed through the heavens. It was picked up on the surface. Charlotte Parkinson, who had been getting ready for bed felt the prompting to pray for her daughter. As her knees hit the carpet, a rumbling went out in the spirit. Demons within the vicinity spun their heads around to look towards the source, saw the light, and scuttled away to take cover.

  “Lord Jesus...” Charlotte began to pray, “In Your Word, it says... And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us...”

  Though unseen with the natural eye, the fabric of the spirit realm was wrenched in to motion as the vaults of heaven opened above her like massive windows in the sky. Clouds, sky, and stars were drawn together into bars and shafts that slid into a gleaming formation. Beams larger than buildings, streets and cities glided through the expanse locking into place. Around the central window, enormous piston-like cylinders propelled through the sky. Massive mechanical-like cogs spun and transformed the atmosphere above into a mass of moving mechanics above her. The central window grew wider than the surrounding ones. The sound of thunder and of clamps securing vaults echoed through the heavens. Brilliant light blazed through the heavenly openings and focused their rays onto the house of the one who was calling on heaven’s power.

  The fabric of the spirit realm above the house now looked like a massive planet destroyer about to fire on the earth. It was like a city floating in space, upside-down, taller towards the centre. Flashes of lightning could be seen within it as it overshadowed the city. As the light intensified, Charlotte stretched out her arms in front of her. As she did so, a stream of blazing golden light cascaded down on top of her, emanating from the central window of the expanse above. The energy was channelled through Charlotte and shot out in front of her with a flash. Angels and demons all over the city felt the release of power. Buildings shook as demons vaporized in its wake. The temperature of the entire region rose by a few degrees.

  In a moment of hesitation, the demon who stood above the teenager, glanced over its shoulder helplessly, just catching sight of a wall of raging golden fire. It let out a weak croak before it was engulfed by flames, flinging dismembered body parts far and wide like flaming meteors, only to be burnt up before they hit the ground. The impact happened so fast that the girl was still looking up to where the demon had been as the light
passed. The teenager, blinded for a moment, allowed her eyes to grow accustomed to her scorched surroundings. Rumbling trailed off into the distance. Rubble was left smoldering as wisps of smoke rose from fragments of concrete and debris.

  The girl sat for a minute catching her breath, still with her back to the wall. All was silent once again.

  “Get up,” she told herself, “You have to move.”

  Back ‘on-mission’ she pulled her stiff body up to her feet, wiped the dust off her armour with her hands and thought, ‘Too close - way too close!’

  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, feeling annoyed for almost failing her mission. She also felt the weight of responsibility as she considered that she was a part of a larger team. She was here for God, she was here for her city, and she was here for her team.

  ‘Where did that explosion come from?’

  Still silent. She made a fresh commitment to the Lord always to be watchful.

  Her mother got up off her knees, unaware of the impact of her prayer and all that had taken place, but she felt a sense of completion and contentment, knowing that what she had done had made a difference.

  2.

  Angel-Light

  L iberty sat up with a gasp. She was sweating and breathing heavily.

  ‘What was that!’ she thought, ‘A dream, a vision? Too real.’ She shivered, ‘Way too real.’

  “I need a shower,” she said

  “What time is it? 6:45am. OK, good. I’m not late.”

  “I really need a shower...”

  Half an hour later, feeling refreshed, she started to pack her bag for school.

  “Mum, where are my shoes?” called Liberty, flinging a t-shirt off her bedroom floor, revealing her younger brother’s toy truck. “If he comes in my room again without me knowing he’s going to get it!” she exclaimed.

  “Where did you see them last?” Charlotte called from the lounge as she was arranging cushions on the couch before leaving for work. This usual response from mum didn’t help in actually finding the shoes, but it at least made Charlotte feel like she was being helpful.

  “I went for a run in them yesterday,” said Liberty in frustration as a t-shirt and a sweater flew in opposite directions across the room.

  As another shirt flung from her bed, she exposed her new mobile phone that her parents had just bought her for her 16th birthday.

  ‘Yikes, don’t want to forget that,’ she thought as she slipped it into her back pocket.

  “I think I saw them at the back door,” Charlotte remembered.

  “You know, you should have got them out with the rest of your gear last night. You don’t want to be late for school.”

  “I know, I know. I’ll have a look out back.”

  “Got them. See you tonight. Love you,” shouted Liberty relieved as she rushed to the door.

  “Don’t forget we are going out for dinner tonight so don’t be late,” replied mum.

  “Oh, and I prayed for you last night. Everything OK?” called Charlotte after her, but Liberty had already burst out of the house and begun her walk to Gallard High School.

  Liberty had a spring in her step that morning. She just felt good about life. The smell of the freshly mown lawn of her neighbour filled the air and the early morning breeze rippled through her light blue t-shirt chilling her a little. She wore her usual black three-quarter compression pants, ankle socks, and running shoes because she had sports for the first period that day. The light jacket with the stripes that ran down each arm was neatly rolled up in her bag should she need it.

  As Liberty turned on to the footpath, a streak of light flashed past the edge of her gaze. Over the next five minutes, she counted nine flashes of light. They looked like golden ribbons, alive with energy flitting through the sky. Most of the time they were nearby and trailed off in front of her like a sparkler waved in the night sky. Other times she would see a huge arc streak through the clouds like a comet. She had seen these brief glimpses of glory for as long as she could remember. She called it ‘Angel-Light.’

  Having been a Christian for most of her life and having attended countless church services, Liberty had seen God move in miraculous ways many times over the years. Even though her church was open to the moving of the Holy Spirit, she had never met anyone who saw what she saw. Liberty had told family, friends and church leaders about the trails of light, but it was quite evident that no one else saw it or could even help her by telling her what it was that had held her fascination over the years. So mostly she kept her Angel-Light to herself these days and enjoyed having her unique ‘God thing’ just between her and God. God had yet to reveal to her that Angel-Light was a fitting description for what she saw.

  It was a typical Friday at Gallard High School, and she had got home in time for the family to go out to dinner together.

  3.

  Gallard

  Gallard High School had problems. Many years ago Gallard had been a popular school to attend, and students from around the country applied for entry, especially those interested in art and music. But in recent years it seemed that creativity had been choked out of the students, and they were agitated in their classes, unable to draw on the natural, ever-flowing creative ideas that used to permeate their minds. Interestingly, Liberty found that she hardly ever saw Angel-Light once she was at school.

  The familiar tall, lanky frame of Principal Drake who had marched through the corridors of the school for twelve years had recently been replaced by a younger, more energetic Principal Spurges, with new ideas and a determination to turn the school around and raise it again to its former glory. But unfortunately, even though Spurges had much experience, he found himself fighting an uphill battle.

  Drake had decided to resign from the school and run for Mayor of the city, with his sights always looking for higher seats of power. The school had been established fifty years earlier on Christian principles, but Drake had slowly removed elements of faith from school life. For some years in a row, the school had annually invited Kenny Dorsa, a brilliant communicator, to speak to the students about achieving their very best in school and life. But Drake had stopped the regular visits under the premise that Kenny had talked a couple of times at the Christian group. He said that it was prejudiced against other religions to have a Christian speak in the assemblies. In truth Kenny made Drake feel uncomfortable and Drake simply just didn’t like him, even though Kenny’s positive message and uplifting humour had made him smile from time to time. The Christian group had seen up to forty students attend regularly, but over the last few years, the group had dwindled to three, one of whom was Liberty.

  Mr. Hoffman, who was a Christian teacher had allowed Liberty, Bethany, and Sarah to meet in his classroom Thursday lunchtimes for their Christian Group meetings. The three met each week for half an hour to pray for their school and city. The environment of that classroom felt like a haven from the spiritual chaos they sensed around their school. As they prayed together, the girls identified everyday issues that reflected the negative spiritual undercurrents that swirled about them. There were regular fights that broke out on the fields at lunchtime and after school. So for three weeks, they prayed specifically that no fights would break out. During those three weeks and for a couple after that, there were no fights on the field. The lack of schoolyard trouble gave the girls confidence that their prayers worked.

  Unfortunately, this year alone, there had been three classroom incidents involving three ambulance call-outs and one fire truck. The fire truck call-out was the most spectacular. In one of the science labs, a student had left the gas on by mistake. Due to an exceptionally unruly day by the students, the final checks of the classroom had not been complete. A group of boys who were loitering outside the science lab after school had wandered around to the back of the classroom to smoke their stolen packet of cigarettes. The classroom had vents in the wall as a safety precaution to dispel any excess gas from the classroom. A spark from a lighter ignited the gas, and a destructive fire
ball lit up the inside of the classroom, scorching the back wall and burning to a crisp the huge poster of The Periodic Table of Elements that had been stuck up there for as long as anyone could remember. The boys outside quickly scattered, scurrying off in all directions to avoid being blamed for the incident. Just what Spurges didn’t need, one of his classrooms going up in smoke. It would be in the local papers for sure! By the time the fire truck arrived the flames were out, but the classroom was smoking with scorch marks up the side of the building.

  Spurges, even though tolerant of religion, did not believe any of it. The only religion he practiced was the religion of academics. “Succeeding in academics are the building blocks for a bright future,” he would say. He had a good track record, raising the standard in previous schools, but he was new to the city of Riverdale, and Gallard had been his toughest assignment yet.

  The truth was that Gallard High School was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the internal pandemonium of the spirit world stifling Riverdale. There was an assignment against this city. Various prophets who lived in the city were aware that this was a pivotal time for Riverdale. Gabriella was one of those prophets. She had spent many restless nights in prayer, gaining victories in some areas, but being all the more aware that more people needed to be praying for breakthrough and revival for Riverdale. Gabriella saw her engagements in prayer like playing a game of chess. She would see the right move to make and then pray a bishop, or a rook, or a knight, or even a pawn into a given situation. The chess piece may have been a person she was praying for, or some piece of legislation or for a general situation to change. Once she had set it up through prayer, she would allow God to make a move, positioning his people throughout society and continuing to establish his kingdom on earth.