From the early part of 2017 through the beginning of the summer, I participated in many church services and events within the body of Christ. Sometimes I was an active participant, other times I felt disconnected. Everyone was praying for a revival. Since revival was a new concept to me, I did some research on past movements of the Holy Spirit. The Azusa Street Revival, the Toronto Blessing etc. Places where the Lords spirit showed up and radically transformed generations. After I read about these past moves of God, I got excited about a similar movement. I was all in.
During this time I pursued Jesus for answers. Answers for myself and answers for what he was doing on the earth. I have no experience with a move of God over a Region or City. I was like that dude that shows up at a party and everyone is like, who is that, but no one actually goes up and asks him why he is there. Out of pure ignorance, I asked God, “Is a revival going to break out because we seek you diligently and zealously praise you? Is a revival going to break out, as a result of you being God and choosing the timing? Are our efforts to pursue revival in vain? We want you Lord and we don’t want you to feel so distant. We wish to experience your presence like others experienced you in the past. Are we ignorant children pursuing a movement and not you? Are we trying to reproduce an old movement and you want to do something new?”
Then one day, while attending a church service in the North Bay, I got frustrated with the subject a pastor was talking about. He was preaching about revival, again. “That’s all anyone talks about and it never happens, I’m over it,” I said to myself. These are my unfiltered thoughts at the time, so pardon the honesty. The Jesus I knew was different and I didn’t have to put my hope in revival to get to know him. You know that tenderhearted spirit that shows up and gives me a big hug at the same moment I’m trying to hide from him, in shame. The healer, the one who has and still is restoring my soul. The nurturing one. The tenderhearted Father in heaven that pursues me. Was I supposed to be pursuing a revival in place of him? I was being so judgmental. It was horrible, quite honestly. Mathew 7:1-2 was upon me—the part about the same measure of judgment being applied. It was applied! At this point of submission and repentance something awesome happened. Jesus finally spoke to me. This is what I heard:
The Lord is in our pursuit of him. Nothing that we attend for Jesus, or participate in, is in vain. He is part of it, but he’s doing something different. He’s preparing us for a harvest. Something different from previous moves of his spirit. And he is giving us the tools to participate in it with him, without us being aware. That’s the season we have been in. Jesus is more zealous than any of us to love this world. He wants his love out in the world more than we do and that’s why he chooses not to allow comfort right now. The world is a fertile ground and he needs help, but he wants us to know we are loved and have an endless supply of mercy to meet our needs. The Lord wants his body to know, I am their Father and I love them. He wants this to be experienced in abundance. Being in transition allows the Lords work to be completed. There is a certain amount of growth that can only occur in this place. “I want my church unblemished like the bride of Christ. I am jealous to see this revealed to the world. This world is seeking signs and wonders. These things are given in more measure once you have fallen into my full embrace and completely yielded. I want to do this for you. Please let me...”
The Lord wants friends, not servants. The next revival will come through the hearts of man. And the things he wants to do on earth, he wants to do through us, not independent of us. He wants us to understand why this last season was so difficult. Knowing who he says we are and what we have become because of what he has done to our hearts. Do you see how he has changed you? Are you thankful for these trials and desperate moments? He has been healing you. He has been restoring you. We have been living in a James 1:2-4 season for a while.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
I feel we are now stepping out of that season and are beginning to operate as sons and daughters of the one True King. We are now beginning to understand who we are. We’ve been given the same authority as Jesus (Mark 16:15-18). Now that we have begun to realize who we are, are we ready to take the next step? Sometimes we want God to do everything for us yet he told us differently in Luke 10:19:
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Let’s begin to seek our corporate and individual destinies with an unmeasured amount of faith. Let’s realize we don’t always have to wait for God to act on our behalf first and that it’s okay to move in a direction he’s already said was ours. Let’s realize that the dreams and visions he gave you are real and he is willing and able to bring you there. Do you believe he can do that? Do you trust him? I can be honest and tell you that I haven’t always trusted him and still struggle, but he is big enough to deal with that too. Let’s take the ground together that he has already given us.
The work to understand your vision/dream/purpose from all angles is not an empty pursuit, as the Lord is in that process. The Lord will help guide your thoughts and actions to be aligned with his will for your life. The Lord allows choice by design. Each time you act in a way that is specific to his purpose, the Lord’s wind of favor will be blowing upon it. When the words out of your mouth reflect what he has brought you through and his gentle, true nature of humility is apparent, this world will fall into his arms and they will receive the same prodigal blessing he bestowed upon you. The prodigal blessing of welcoming his children back home is the Lord’s to choose how to lavish. He is the king and all that is in his store shed belongs to you. All you have to do is ask. He loves you and will meet you at the front door. You can walk the floors of his many distribution centers and mansions to marvel at. Ask for anything and it will be given because you are his child and he loves you. He invites all of us to enter this door of sacrifice and experience. The Lord is there to bring you into his purpose. He will not shortcut anything. You will experience every chapter in your pursuit of him because he has prayed for you and already released the favor and grace to go through it. The victory is already won. Continue to pursue your baptism of love. He wants to love all of those parts that you continue to block. He will continue to pursue you and he is always there. |
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