Zechariah 10:1 - Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. the Lord will make flashing clouds; he will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone.
1 Kings 18:41-45 - Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.'' So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea.'' So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing.'' And seven times he said, "Go again.'' Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!'' So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, `Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' '' Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain...
James 5:17-18 - Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
This seemed to be the theme last night as we ministered to the Lord. Another verse went right along with these: Joel 2:28-29 - "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Time for the Latter Rain...the cleansing, soaking, refreshing, changing, revealing, comforting, convicting, enabling, Spirit of the Living God!
We realize that the Spirit of God is here, and very active in what He does. I do believe, though, that in these last days, these days of the final harvest, there is to be a vast outpouring of God's Spirit, the likes of which NO ONE has ever experienced. As it was in the book of Genesis where God said that the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep, so it is these last days. Darkness is upon the earth in mass quantities. The god of the earth is running full speed to work his agenda. But the Lord is speaking His Word. The prophetic word of God is proceeding from the mouth of God. It is causing life to spring up. Light is shining upon our ways. "Behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon you and His glory shall be seen upon you"(Isaiah 60).
There is a FLOOD just on the horizon. Our responsibility is to be in the right posture to move with His Spirit and receive the Rain as a rain gutter would receive the rain from the roof of a house. The rain gutter is used to catch the rain and then direct it to the proper place. Father is preparing us, even now, to be in the right "posture" - connected to His House properly (whose house are we if we hold fast - Hebrews 3:6), not focused on OUR ministry, our aches and pains, or anything other than the Kingdom of God, and make sure that each of us cleanses ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; perfecting holiness in the fear of God - 2 Corinthians 7:1.
The Clouds of God's Glory are forming. Jesus said "he that has ears let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the church". I'd like to add, if I may, that the same would be true with this statement: "he that has eyes to see, let them see what the Spirit is doing IN the church". Oh saints of God, cry out to God in this time of the Spirit's Season. Cry out with a passion for no one but God. Cry out, "come, Thy Kingdom; be done, Thy will!" Let's not use the "if it be Thy will" kind of praying; let's use the confidence, the boldness, and even the tenacity that the Spirit of God brings to us. Let's have the strength to not draw back during this critical time but, instead, move with God step by step.
Those who are listening and obeying the voice of the Spirit will catch the raindrops. The rain of God will not hurt them but will help them bring forth fruit - 30, 60, and 100 fold. Those who are living for their own little world will not see the Glory of God. Yet their lives will be shaken. Many that aren't seeing what the Lord is doing or hearing what He's saying, when they are being shaken by the Rain, Lightenings, and Wind, will even get to the point where they'll try rebuking the devil; because they have not recognized the workings of God.
May the Lord continue to direct our hearts, our whole being, into intimate fellowship with Him and one another. May the sound of rain become louder than the sounds of the world. Again, "ask ye the Lord rain, in the time of the latter rain..." Beloved, NOW is the time.
"I can here Him calling...I can hear the sound of Rain..."
Pastor Jan
Monday, June 19, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
A Move of God
Greetings,
I believe it's time I write again and share what the Lord is speaking to my heart. He is so gentle at times yet He can be so direct in His dealings with us. Of course, if we understand that He is grooming us to be partakers of His Holiness and conform us into His image it helps during the "direct" times. "Now no chastening is joyful...but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it". Heb. 12
God is moving in the earth and primarily in a pre-revival mode. Regardless of what you and I are experiencing of God presently, it is still in "seed form". I want to share just a little about "the Move of God" and speak a word of exhortation to you in regards to the move.
The Lord spoke this to my heart just yesterday: "A move of God that brings freedom and the Glory of God will eventually become a prison to those who refuse to follow God's move".
Now this move can be on a world-wide scale or nationally, or even to you or I as an individual. God moves in our life; He touches us, changes us, brings us from faith to faith and glory to glory. We have a tendency, though, to get to where we feel we should be with God and then quit moving with God. We welcome a change, probably because we don't like the pain of the present situation. God comes and moves in our life and we are so appreciative that we testify of God's work in our life. We settle in with a routine with God and things are fine. But God is never going to leave us permanently in our state, regardless of how wonderful we now are. He is going to keep doing His work of training, pruning, scrubbing, releasing, watching, and all the things He does to bring us to the place of COMPLETE conformity with His Son.
I see a pattern throughout the Word of God and it's within the pattern that I hear the warning from the Spirit of God. Here are some examples I am referring to. I'll just give the scripture references so I don't take up as much space.
First example: Abraham had God move in his life (Genesis 12). God had a desire to bless Abraham, his people, and ultimately the world through Abraham's seed. He also wanted to bless the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, etc. God is always desiring that NONE perish; not before, not now, not anytime. When the famine came and Joseph was God's move in the earth, Jacob almost missed out by NOT moving to Egypt.
Second example: Israel had been in the new move (Joseph's move) for 400+ years. God had told Abraham that his people would be in a strange land but would return around 400 years. Joseph had prophesied to his family to make sure when they left they took his bones with them. But after Joseph, they forgot all about the next move. They began to become fruitful and multiply and really enjoy the "present truth" prosperity so God eventually had to "shake" them so they would begin to cry out. Unfortunately, the pain they experienced only moved them for a little while. They counted the new move of God to the promise land not worth the trouble. So they died in the wilderness.
Listen closely: Hebrews 12 states that everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that which cannot be shaken will remain. There is a move on the horizon. It dwarfs anything that has happened up to this point. Just as the Exodus dwarfed anything God had done up to that point, so is His next move among us and the world. Just think what many missed out on. God revealed Himself to the Exodus crowd (which included some Egyptians who believed) in ways He had never before! Watch closely, brethren, lest at anytime you let what you have slip. Listen carefully to the voice of God; He'll say, "THIS is the way, walk ye in IT".
Third example: Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time. Once again, the greatest thing God had ever done was right in front of their faces. A new move! Yet, they missed the visitation (Luke 19:41-44). It wasn't because God didn't try to shake them and prepare them to come along. They were too fixed in their own idea of how God does things to be concerned with what God was doing RIGHT THEN in their midst.
I could go on and on but I won't. I just feel strongly about staying tuned up and prepared for whatever the Holy Spirit is saying. I believe there are some reading this that have let themselves get to the place of such complacency that it's going to take a major "shaking" in your life to start seeing things from God's perspective. You started out with God giving you freedom and a taste of His Glory on and in your life. But you have since refused to move beyond your place of comfort. You are satisfied with the way things are and now you are actually in prison to what used to be freedom. God did some things in your life but now is way out front of you saying "please follow me". Freedom isn't freedom unless God is in our life.
God isn't in the destroying business, but He is in the MOLDING and CONFORMING business. He is desiring to not only bless your life, but like Abraham's, create in you the capacity to bless the world around you as you allow the move of God THROUGH YOU. So, don't wait for the shaking if you know in your heart that you haven't been moving WITH GOD. Repent, turn around, and begin trusting the Lord to work in you that which is pleasing in His sight.
Time to go. I trust each of you will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to you. He is talking. He is moving. He will complete His work. Make sure you are IN the move, not outside of it.
Please add your comments to this or any other message. I'd love to hear from you.
Pastor Jan
I believe it's time I write again and share what the Lord is speaking to my heart. He is so gentle at times yet He can be so direct in His dealings with us. Of course, if we understand that He is grooming us to be partakers of His Holiness and conform us into His image it helps during the "direct" times. "Now no chastening is joyful...but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it". Heb. 12
God is moving in the earth and primarily in a pre-revival mode. Regardless of what you and I are experiencing of God presently, it is still in "seed form". I want to share just a little about "the Move of God" and speak a word of exhortation to you in regards to the move.
The Lord spoke this to my heart just yesterday: "A move of God that brings freedom and the Glory of God will eventually become a prison to those who refuse to follow God's move".
Now this move can be on a world-wide scale or nationally, or even to you or I as an individual. God moves in our life; He touches us, changes us, brings us from faith to faith and glory to glory. We have a tendency, though, to get to where we feel we should be with God and then quit moving with God. We welcome a change, probably because we don't like the pain of the present situation. God comes and moves in our life and we are so appreciative that we testify of God's work in our life. We settle in with a routine with God and things are fine. But God is never going to leave us permanently in our state, regardless of how wonderful we now are. He is going to keep doing His work of training, pruning, scrubbing, releasing, watching, and all the things He does to bring us to the place of COMPLETE conformity with His Son.
I see a pattern throughout the Word of God and it's within the pattern that I hear the warning from the Spirit of God. Here are some examples I am referring to. I'll just give the scripture references so I don't take up as much space.
First example: Abraham had God move in his life (Genesis 12). God had a desire to bless Abraham, his people, and ultimately the world through Abraham's seed. He also wanted to bless the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, etc. God is always desiring that NONE perish; not before, not now, not anytime. When the famine came and Joseph was God's move in the earth, Jacob almost missed out by NOT moving to Egypt.
Second example: Israel had been in the new move (Joseph's move) for 400+ years. God had told Abraham that his people would be in a strange land but would return around 400 years. Joseph had prophesied to his family to make sure when they left they took his bones with them. But after Joseph, they forgot all about the next move. They began to become fruitful and multiply and really enjoy the "present truth" prosperity so God eventually had to "shake" them so they would begin to cry out. Unfortunately, the pain they experienced only moved them for a little while. They counted the new move of God to the promise land not worth the trouble. So they died in the wilderness.
Listen closely: Hebrews 12 states that everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that which cannot be shaken will remain. There is a move on the horizon. It dwarfs anything that has happened up to this point. Just as the Exodus dwarfed anything God had done up to that point, so is His next move among us and the world. Just think what many missed out on. God revealed Himself to the Exodus crowd (which included some Egyptians who believed) in ways He had never before! Watch closely, brethren, lest at anytime you let what you have slip. Listen carefully to the voice of God; He'll say, "THIS is the way, walk ye in IT".
Third example: Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time. Once again, the greatest thing God had ever done was right in front of their faces. A new move! Yet, they missed the visitation (Luke 19:41-44). It wasn't because God didn't try to shake them and prepare them to come along. They were too fixed in their own idea of how God does things to be concerned with what God was doing RIGHT THEN in their midst.
I could go on and on but I won't. I just feel strongly about staying tuned up and prepared for whatever the Holy Spirit is saying. I believe there are some reading this that have let themselves get to the place of such complacency that it's going to take a major "shaking" in your life to start seeing things from God's perspective. You started out with God giving you freedom and a taste of His Glory on and in your life. But you have since refused to move beyond your place of comfort. You are satisfied with the way things are and now you are actually in prison to what used to be freedom. God did some things in your life but now is way out front of you saying "please follow me". Freedom isn't freedom unless God is in our life.
God isn't in the destroying business, but He is in the MOLDING and CONFORMING business. He is desiring to not only bless your life, but like Abraham's, create in you the capacity to bless the world around you as you allow the move of God THROUGH YOU. So, don't wait for the shaking if you know in your heart that you haven't been moving WITH GOD. Repent, turn around, and begin trusting the Lord to work in you that which is pleasing in His sight.
Time to go. I trust each of you will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to you. He is talking. He is moving. He will complete His work. Make sure you are IN the move, not outside of it.
Please add your comments to this or any other message. I'd love to hear from you.
Pastor Jan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
