This week I did a video call with a gifted young man named Billy who serves on the staff of a growing church in South Africa. He has a big heart of compassion for people. He knows how to make disciples. And he's a great communicator. I told him I would love it if he were my pastor, even though he's only 32. But as I encouraged him, and many young leaders like him, I'm aware that ministry is not an easy assignment. Like everything else in life, it's full of risks. And I want to make sure anyone out there who is praying about stepping into ministry knows what they will face.
This is from the heart of Jesus for some very precious people. The Lord says to you, "I AM the God of broken hallelujahs. I AM the God of YOUR broken hallelujahs. When the hardships of this life leave you weary, brokenhearted, and troubled, when the hurt weighs heavy inside, remember that I AM the God of broken hallelujahs.
Recently in a time of prayer, the Lord began to speak to me. As the Lord spoke, I could feel myself being stretched by Him. The only way I know how to describe it to you is to call it "The God Stretch." I believe that in this season, and for the rest of 2020, many will be in the God Stretch. Many times we pray desperately for increase, breakthrough and for God to move mightily in our lives. However, when those prayers are answered we often find ourselves being stretched and challenged in order to steward the answers to our prayers.
I've given a recent prophetic word that we are entering into a season of joy. That may be hard to believe when you look around at what is going on in the world today. But the trouble we're experiencing is not here to stay. No matter what it looks like right now, I encourage you to jump into the season of joy that's here now and embrace it for yourself. You know, I've spent many years learning how to understand the times and seasons of Heaven. I think that studying the natural seasons the Earth moves through every year is a good place to start.
For the past month the Lord has really placed upon my heart a burden for many in the body of Christ who have been in a place of "doubt" over their calling, their gifting, what they carry and the "expression" of that in and through their lives. I heard the Lord speaking over these ones and He said, "I AM GOING TO CONCRETE WHAT YOU CARRY." When the Lord spoke these words there was a strong sense of impartation, conviction, maturing, freedom and deliverance. I have been heralding the fear of man being broken off many lives right now and in this year. There is a deep deliverance of the fear of man happening in many lives right now and the fire of God is bringing around a conviction and concreting of what the people of God carry.
Fear is the opposite of faith, and faith and trust are interchangeable. I remember living in fear. I was afraid of storms, vehicle breakdowns and driving over a bridge with water underneath. I would fear medical ailments and financial uncertainty. I cried out to the Lord for years for a faith impartation. Every conference I went to and in my prayer time, I would ask the Lord to activate my faith. I was tormented and frankly quite done living in fear. I'm sure some of you feel that way too! I am passionate now about assisting others to freedom from fear because, as I say, freedom feels good!
There are some people that can do extraordinary things, I have seen it. If you have an internet connection you can see it also. The internet and television are flooded with them. While the bar is getting set higher and higher for people to make it with their gifts and talents, because of all the people out there who are gifted it is still important to do what you are gifted to do no matter who thinks it has value or not. Most of our talents and giftings are God-given and God wants to see us step out and use them to make the world a better place. So, one can say it is each person's calling to use the gifts God gave them.
God is releasing NEW BEGINNINGS in people's lives. I know you can experience that new beginning. No season is permanent. God is a God of restoration, forgiveness, healing and He is amazing at making all things new. Maybe you need a new beginning in different ways. Maybe you have been going through a difficult season fighting spiritual warfare. Or maybe there has been a relationship conflict in your life. Or maybe you need some circumstances to shift and change. Or maybe you have been struggling with the flesh and need a fresh cleansing by the blood of Jesus.
God gives us all the spiritual knowledge we seek after, but He also gives us His knowledge concerning all matters. We mature in the knowledge of God first and foremost by reading and studying His Word. We also develop in the knowledge of God through our own individual adventures with Him. The knowledge of God is vital to our sanctification and transformation. Jesus established His essentialness to the Believer: You shall know the Truth (the living person of Jesus Christ; the logos and rhema Word of God that produces the image of God; the foundation of creation; the One who brings us into the center of God's purpose), and the Truth shall set you free (John 8:32).
Although many changes are happening in the world today, we can be encouraged to know that God does not change. In my time of prayer, God wanted me to encourage you today from Ecclesiastes 3:1-10. Verse one says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." The writer in Ecclesiastes prophetically speaks of what we are experiencing in the world today. It explains the different seasons for which we are experiencing. It seems, as of now, we have truly been experiencing a season of death, break downs, weeping, mourning, refraining from embracing, losing things, rending, hating and war. This year has been challenging and straining for us all.
