Revelation for 2013

I took some time one day the first part of January to ask the Lord what His perspectives were for 2013. Here is what He revealed.

This is a year of new ground- many of us will be taken out of our areas of familiarity. (this could be our jobs, tasks within our present jobs, relationships, geographical settings, etc.) We will find ourselves in realms outside our comfort zones.

Breaking, Thawing, Flooding It will feel like walking on a frozen sea broken into shards of ice. It will be slippery and feel unstable, but the fact is that God is breaking the ice and is placing stable ice blocks at our feet to stand on. We just need to learn to balance and maneuver upon them.

The surface of Culture and life as we know it has become like the Arctic Sea, frozen over. Yet shifting and shaking by the Lord’s design is occurring (from the deep hidden places) to break the ice-bound blocks. This is the ice blocks we will find ourselves on. Instead of staring in fear or shock at the breaking ice beneath our feet, we will need to position ourselves to balance, to maneuver with the flow and movement. The Lord will teach us to do this! Stay attentive! Be a good learner (like Papa teaching/helping His child learn to ride a bike.)

After this breaking point there will be a time of adjustment, and then a period of thawing. I then saw many people floating on inner tubes in Hawaiian shirts and straw hats in the warmth of the sun. After the thawing, a flood will ensue. The breaking, thawing and flooding are all part of what the Father has planned. They have a Kingdom purpose. The breaking is to dislodge old mindsets, habits and establishments formed by man without God’s heart or will. The thawing will come as a celebration and rest time, much growth will happen here. The flood will be like a river that brings life, similar to the river referred to in Isaiah 66:12, Ezekiel 47, Revelations 22. It also seemed to be the flood of new believers like a great harvest. But it seems like this “thawing” time may take a while to occur.

The thing to remember – during breaking and thawing – focus on the Lord’s principles and promises, they remain and are current for whatever time/season or event occurs. He is faithful and trustworthy. Integrity, mercy, truth, love, honesty, courage, humility, accountability- these will all be necessary/vital for us to have on the inside (in our spirits) and to wear as armor, and will be the path before us. Remember- God has hard-wired you with great things – for great things. Some of these things God has been revealing and strengthening in many of you/us. Others of us will discover these things for the 1st time that have been hidden or long forgotten.

 

Bottom Line things learned in the past year or vision for 2013

No Fear! – The Lord has been working with us not to be fearful = (full of fear). In our daily lives and experiences He has been preparing you/us, building courage in us like a fortress. He has been helping us let go of fear. Fear is a key instrument of the enemy- he keeps us bound and convinces us that we are powerless. The Lord is building this fortress of courage stone by stone, it is a blueprint of a beautiful cathedral, that His light will stream through in beautiful rays of color. This is a new kind of fortress or cathedral though, not like a rigid religious oppressive structure, but one that has life inside and flows outward – imagine a beautiful European cathedral with so much light inside that trees and foliage occupy the space and a lively river flows outward through all the doors and windows. This No Fear mission will be sweeping over our histories, our past mistakes and wounds. Allow Him to walk you through His healing process when these historic fears become apparent. They may even be thin threads of the past you thought you had taken care of long ago. Let Him finish it! His Spirit is also sweeping over our present, over our comfort zones. Someone is going to “move your cheese” – disassemble your ducks-in-a-row. Do not panic, do not fear this. Papa is teaching us to trust Him in the midst of chaos. Politically, Economically, Socially – there are and will continue to be legitimate reasons for serious concern in these areas. Yet there is a serious need for us as believers to NOT panic. Let us keep our focus on the Father and ask Him how to navigate this time in a Kingdom manner. He is not afraid. He’s got our backs. He’s got the game plan. (Like a runner on the track during the race who keeps his focus on his coach’s voice, not on his opponents or any other distractions around him.) (Like the Masonic Hall in Grass Range) He will also show us His Kingdom here on earth – remember, Jesus prayed that. He is present now, here, in the natural and the unseen.

Gaining New Territory- 7 Mountaintops of Cultural Influence ( 1975 Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission, Francis Schaeffer )

Family, Church, Business, Government, Media, Education, Arts & Entertainment

This concept was a revelation about 30 years ago. But this is intensifying. God is strategically placing His children in these “institutions” to have stealth influence upon the world. He is placing people in these realms at every level; workers, PR people & leaders. I think the Lord wants to change our mindset of our involvement and divine placement into these areas. Occupations in these areas are our MINISTRIES, not just jobs, but places of releasing the Kingdom on earth. No longer do we have to think of going on a mission trip or being a missionaries, though these are still valid ways to interact with the Father’s movement on earth. Moreover, our jobs or interactions within these 7 Mountains are Kingdom positions.

(I use to think my job at Belgrade High School was just for financial necessity. My job was very difficult. I was struggling to find my place, wresting with God, even asking for a different assignment. The Father has been working with me, showing me a new perspective – I was slow to hear, it’s been a painful lesson. These were His words, “this is not just a job for financial need, that is a side benefit. This is a Kingdom position. I have strategically placed you in this place for Kingdom purposes.” This was a shift in my perspective. I feel I have more Kingdom gain now, more favor, more courage, more God-confidence, less/no fear, more ground to move into, and more joy in my place of influence.) This shift in perspective does not illuminate difficulties or conflicts. But it provides a platform of character to help me respond in a Kingdom manner.

Gaining ground and holding ground require different elements. There is a different battle plan for soldiers to “take the hill”. This is grueling work. It takes time in your position to gain credibility. You don’t have to fight for the presence of God to come and take over your place of influence. You are a carrier of the Kingdom. You are a child of the King and you carry all of heaven with you to release in your work place. But it doesn’t require us to fight against the worldly mindset or evil present in our realms. Angles in heaven are already doing battle, Jesus has already won the war. Our battle plan is to listen to our coach’s voice, keep our focus on His present plan and walk through the chaos with His purposes in mind and in our actions. Our character released in difficult situations or interacting with people that need a touch of love, a word of encouragement or wisdom, a response that is full of life, or a new creative way to solve an old problem will bring the Kingdom, gain ground and hold ground. We need to be conscious of this and release it into the places we inhabit through our Kingdom perspectives and our behavior.

Continue to Unfold Identities- the Lord has been breathing life into personal identities. His Body is “getting it”, yes we are all created equal, yet we are not all the same. Though we need to have unity in the Body, unity is NOT uniformity. Sameness was never been His purpose. He will continue to speak to each of us and reveal who we really are (from His perspective), how He has wired us, our unique giftings, personalities, experiences. He will continue to entice us with a taste of our own unique experiences with Him. He is diminishing the human need to compare ourselves to others. We will have our own experiences that are life-giving, and that will be enough. We will continue to see Him showing us new ways to walk out our identities, going where “no man/woman has gone before.” This will require us to allow Him to show us how to walk this out, since there is no formula, and the way we’ve “always done it” won’t work in this time coming. Though we can build on previous experiences and lessons learned, precept upon precept, nonetheless we will be venturing into new territory and it will require heavenly wisdom, new insights, revelatory decisions and actions.

A Team! A team is like a family, built and thriving on cooperation. As we interact in RRV and the Whole Body of Christ, we must work as a team, encouraging each other to be all that Christ has within us. This will require us to continue to walk in humility, grace, and obedience to God’s leading. This cooperation and encouragement needs to extend to those who “are not yet” part of the Body of Christ, loving not to get them into the Kingdom, but just loving them .