There is a fresh momentum coming. God is bringing a new wind of His Holy Spirit to this body. There have been those who have been straining at the oars, rowing against the current. God is encouraging those who have had their hands on the oars to cease from your rowing and let your sails of faith be lifted and unfurled - to cease from your labor and let His fresh wind fill your sails of faith. The oars will have to be discarded or burned for God has not called you to a rowboat but to a sailboat. The oars may give us a sense of control and security to the direction we feel we must go, but God will bring us to the direction we need to go by allowing the wind of the Holy Spirit to guide us on His course. This fresh wind will allow us to rest on His strength and ability. It will deepen our relationship to Him. It will charter us into deeper waters of revelation of Him. This is a time which God will impart to us a fresh momentum and strength as we trust in Him and the Holy Spirit to fill our sails and breath on us.
God can change the direction in a moment if we trust the sail of faith to always be filled with His divine wind. If we continue to row with the oars of wood, we will eventually grow tired and the current will take us where we don't want to go.
God will teach us when our sail of faith is in place to understand the signs of how the wind blows and how to receive the most of that wind.
Reviving the embers
The Lord has not forgotten you! He has not forgotten your perseverance in the midst of hardships and disappointments. He has not forgotten your prayers or your worship when you had nothing left to give. He has not forgotten the pain that you've carried, waiting for your promises to come forth, and He's counted every tear you've shed. He's saved them in a bottle with your name on it, and He looks at it often. He's known when you've wanted to give up; He's known when you've slowly lost your passion, and the dreams you once had. He hasn't forgotten you, and He wants to give you beauty for ashes. It's time to revive those embers, and fan the flames in your heart.
He wants to restore you and give you life like you've never known before. There are seasons for enduring, and there are seasons for restoration. "For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation: for law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the people. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, and on My arm they will trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner: But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished. (Is. 51:3-6). …
"But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared – the Lord of hosts is His name, And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, 'You are My people.' " (Is. 51:15-16).
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 7:25 that Jesus lives to make intercession for us. He never stops praying for us, and He never gives up on us. Listen, it doesn't matter what you've encountered in your life. God is able. He is able to bring back that wayward child. He is able to restore your health. He is able to turn the heart of that resistant loved one. He is able to bring forgiveness and restoration where your family has been divided. He is able to pour out financial blessings and turn your situation around. He is able to bring your family back in to their God-ordained borders. He is able to refute every lie of the enemy. He is able to overturn injustice and give favor on your behalf. He is able! Not only does He possess the ability to do it, it is His desire, and He will. Hold on to the promise, for He is coming to restore all things. He's coming to restore your destiny, along with the hopes and dreams you thought were gone. Maybe you gave up on them, but He certainly didn't. God never loses the hope that you will fulfill your purpose, regardless of what you've done in your past. He is able to fix all things because He's the creator! Creating a new thing in your life is easy for Him! Creating a new future is easy for Creator God!
You see, you are far too important to Him to forget. You are His blood-bought child. He has the scars to prove it. You're His, and He is here to fan those embers into a roaring fire again. It's never too late to ask Him for a fresh start. Why not today? Why not come to Him and ask Him to forgive you of all your past mistakes, and rewrite your future? Ask Him, He'll do it! Nothing is impossible with God. I know. I've made some messes in my life at times and thought I had really blown it, but God has turned those things around. He is the King of Extreme Makeovers! Put your trust in the Lord today, and just ask Him to put all the pieces together to bring your restoration. Ask Him to bring the restoration of your family, your future, or whatever it is you are believing for. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:13,14)
ARISE AND SHINE - IT'S TIME!
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…" Ecclesiastes 3:1
"In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of trouble I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; that You may say to the prisoners, 'Go forth', to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' " Isaiah 49:8,9
IT'S THE TIME FOR FAVOR!
IT'S THE TIME FOR RESTORATION!
IT'S YOUR SET TIME!
There is a time that we long for, wait for, pray for…like a woman awaiting the birth of her child. You've been pregnant with vision, pregnant with purpose, and the time of transition has been long, often times disheartening as you've wondered, "When will this dream come to pass?"
It's time. Lift up your head, for your redemption draws near. It is the time for God's favor to rest upon you.
Many of you have waited for what seems a very long time. You've endured some dark days and sown many tears, but you shall come reaping with joy. It is good to wait upon the Lord, for as we do, he has been putting every piece in place. No, you haven't been able to see it, but God has been taking care of the details none-the-less. He is the Master chess player in this world in which we live. He wisely anticipates each play before it ever happens, and skillfully manipulates the players on His board to move where He wants them to move. He has an eye on your opponent, you can be sure. Nothing goes unnoticed. Father never sleeps nor slumbers, but always has our interests at heart. Every time someone has played unfairly; every time someone has deliberately set out to do harm to you or try to cause you to stumble, He has seen. As they have done it unto the least of His people, so have they done it unto Him. God has also watched every move you have made, as you have waited, prayed, and committed yourself to serving Him. He sits beside you, and you have heard him give a word saying, "This is the way, move here. Now move there. I will cause you to win this game!"
It is a time for restoration and to reclaim everything the enemy has touched in your life. Everything that has been taken unlawfully must be repaid. The thief is still accountable to God, and the Just Judge of Heaven will make him give up all the substance of his house. (Prov. 6:31) What you didn't understand is that the Master Chess Player has been maneuvering things on the chess board so that you will see the goodness of the Lord. He has prepared a feast for you in the presence of your enemies. Oh, yes, the enemy that sought to destroy you will see that the Lord delights to honor you. He has anointed your head with oil, and the blessings of the Lord are being released – NOW! For the set time to favor you has come. It's your season.
Think not, "How is this to come to pass?" Only trust and believe that it is in process. The longing of your heart to feel fulfilled, those deep desires to be fruitful and bring glory to your Father, shall come to pass quickly. As you have honored others that the Lord loves; as you have served willingly and had a grateful heart; as you have worshipped in the dark times as well as the good, rejoice in your portion; for the Lord is taking you into the riches of His kingdom.
You have been anointed for such a time as this. There is a place of your appointment, and God has prepared that place for you. God will not take you into a place prematurely. He waits until it is ready. He waits until the victory is sure. He has secured your borders and He has gone before you, and every enemy is defeated. They cannot stand before you, because He has given them into your hand. You may have to face the enemy again, but rest assured it will be from a place of knowing that the victory is already won, for your prayers have made that place ready. Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, You everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King of glory? THE LORD STRONG AND MIGHTY; THE LORD MIGHTY IN BATTLE. Lift up your heads O you gates! (Ps. 24:7,8)
Oh yes, the satisfaction will be worth it. The trials, the rejection, the misunderstanding and all the rest of the hardships will be worth the wait, because the great, incredible, creator of the universe is on your side. If God is for you, who can be against you? He wants to use you, (yes, you!) to bring a message of His power, His goodness, His love and His nature to others. Think of the many who will see and hear the testimony that God has worked in your life and give glory to God. Think of the many who will hear what God has done for you and want to know your God. They will wonder why they don't seem to know Him like you do. And you can smile, knowing God has just given you another opportunity to tell others about Him. "Oh yes," you'll say…"I would love to tell you about the greatness of my God. Jesus is His name!" Oh, the things He can do for you!
