On April 1, 2020 He said these words to me ….
“I will speak and the sound of my voice and decree will go throughout the world. I am calling my people into a new order. A heavenly order. A place that contradicts their religious and traditional beliefs about who I am and how I work. I want to break the chains of bondage that have been placed upon my people through the religious system. A system that continues to bind and to hold my people. I am indeed crying throughout the lands … Let my people go! Set my people free! Come up higher and see Who I really am! My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Your systems are not my system! Come up higher into the realm of my Spirit and see Who I am and what I have to say. My voice is filling the airwaves like never before. In the quiet I want you to hear my voice. I want to break the chains that bind you to ways and thoughts that don’t produce eternal fruit. That don’t allow My spirit to flood your being with the sound of my plan and ways.”
He seems to be saying much about our religious system! I believe we truly are going to see a huge difference in the way things are done. Not everything will change, but for those who answer His call … our ways will most certainly be different than they have been. We cannot rely upon formulas or traditions of men. Pray this way, say this, do this, come to our church because we have something you don’t have. On and on the story goes of how we have been stuck in traditions and religious ways that hinder what He truly has in mind! The 29th chapter of the Book of Acts will be written by those who step into this new place with the Holy Spirit! When we lay aside our ways and allow Him to make a huge seismic shift in us – from our ways to His ways! From system to relationship! There is indeed a world shifting series of events taking place as we have never seen before. The heavens and the earth are being realigned for purposes not yet fully discerned! Not changes, but shifts! Changes can happen slowly and dynamically. Shifts, however – are quick, sudden, and unexpected. Like a seismic shift that takes place during an earthquake. The fault line is shaken and things are moved and redistributed. Like “the big one” we have always heard about! I am not saying this is “the big one”. I don’t believe there is ONE big one, but instead, it is a series of small and large shakings meant to expose the fault line. To release, or create the pressure that causes the world to stop and take notice. It exposes the things that beforehand were perhaps not yet seen.
With all the world in a craze – even a daze over the coronavirus – I am asking the Lord to help me grasp what He wants me to know. What are you saying to me, Lord? I don’t want to believe everything I hear just because I’m being told it is so. At the same time, I don’t want to believe what I think I believe — just because it is my paradigm. I want to hear what YOU are saying and doing. In the midst of these most amazing world-changing events, people’s beliefs and fears are rising to the surface. Some are drawing nearer to God, looking for His plan in the midst of the storm. Some are staying away from God and away from other people. Yet many (even those who call themselves Christians) are scared, lost, panicked, and feeling alone. As the world is being shaken – the feelings, emotions, and actions that are deeply rooted within our beings are being exposed by our actions. For, whatever flows out of us will reveal our true beliefs, thoughts, fears, and faith.
During this quarantine process, I have been challenged to think about what I truly believe to be TRUTH. Not opinion (mine or someone else’s), not brainwashing, not media or fear-driven, but TRUTH! Jesus is the only truth —- the only sure thought, way, life, and path. His word is the truth! The question is: Do we really believe? Faith is the action we take, the stand we make, the choices we determine, in spite of what we might feel or see. How desperately we all need you, Holy Spirit. To hear your voice, to see your path, to draw near to you. These are world-changing times. We have prayed and cried out for revival. We thought it would look one way, but revival comes when we, God’s people, turn to Him and allow Him to reveal Himself in us. Then as a sign and wonder to the world —- those who are filled with joy, peace, love, boldness, and assurance ARISE and the world says, “tell me what you have that makes you so sure”? Those that are filled with Resurrection power are the ones who become world changers.
You must quieten your heart and allow me to speak. You are listening to the roar of the storm. You need to put your trust in me and know that at the right time I will quieten the storm and create a new awareness of my plan. ”
I hear the Lord saying these words to me: “Just watch what I will do. You don’t see it now. You feel it changing. You feel the wind blowing but you don’t know from where it comes or where it is going. Wait upon me and watch what I will form and fashion in this shaking. Be prepared and ready to answer the call that I whisper to you. The call to go with me, to follow me, to respond to the call of my plan in humanity. You must quieten your heart and allow me to speak. You are listening to the roar of the storm. You need to put your trust in me and know that at the right time I will quieten the storm and create a new awareness of my plan. ”
Are we listening to the roar of the storm? Or to the roar fo the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? We, God’s people, are being called to let go of the world’s system. The bible addresses the system both as Egypt and as Babylon! We cannot depend upon or place our trust in our leaders, our currency, our economics, our things, our jobs, in the things we are comfortable and accustomed to. Nor can we place our trust in our religious ways. I’m talking about the ways of the religious system that hold no real truth or revelation of Christ. We must put our faith and trust in the Lord. He will deliver His people into a new plan and purpose. We will no longer be slaves to the world’s religious system that seeks to keep us powerless, fearful, relying upon rituals or formulas – producing very little power, fruit, and love. The world wants to see evidence of a relationship with God as revealed through His sons and daughters. Let’s determine to enter a new land called Zion, where God does a deep work in our hearts and as a result, we arise in the power and awe-struck wonder of our God! Then the world will see the awesome and mighty power of our God who provides, who saves, who heals, who restores and reveals Himself in and through his children! We cannot go back to church as usual – to life as usual. Not if we are yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit in this hour! He is drawing us out of “the system” that binds us and holds us captive to religious ideas, thoughts, habits, and mindsets. However, we must be the ones who make the choice to walk out of the system.
About a year ago, God first spoke to me about the subject of “bricks and mortar”, He awakened me in the night and immediately I heard the Lord tell me it was time to sell my condo in Colombia. As this was not really in “my” plan, I felt panic-stricken with tons of fears and thoughts running through my mind! What? Really? Then what? What will I do with all my stuff? “Then I won’t have a place to call my own”! Instantly, He said to me:
“It’s bricks and mortar. Does that sound familiar? Remember what my children were doing in Egypt when I said, “let my people go”? Making bricks for Pharaoh! We will turn bricks and mortar into eternal rewards. It’s time to walk out of the old and into the new. You will see me perform many mighty miracles just like they did when I miraculously delivered them from slavery to their old life and ways under a system that enslaved them and their efforts. It’s time to be free and come away with me to the distant lands.”
When the Lord said this to me, he told me that bricks and mortar represented His people being slaves to the Egyptians. He told me to place my trust in Him and see what He would do with the bricks and mortar! Did it really have anything to do with a physical building or literal bricks and mortar? No! He was asking me to trust Him and see what He would do as I placed my trust in Him. It’s as if I was being challenged to hear the sound of the great I AM calling, “Let my people go! Set my people free!!!! So that they might worship me”. Not only did He ask me to trust Him, but it also came with the promises ahead as I stepped into the new era with Him! Walking out of my old system and ways … into this new exciting adventure-filled life with Him! Who would I trust? Him or my old Egyptian ways? Holding onto my possessions, ideals, and familiarities? You see, it’s only when we have been set free and brought into a new place with Him that we too, can be used as Deliverers! If we want to help others who are enslaved to the world’s system to be able to walk into places of freedom and promise, we must first answer the call to do it ourselves! It’s a matter of the heart. Who and what are we placing our trust in? Not our words of trust, our religious concepts, but truly our TRUST! Releasing ourselves into God’s care and hands. This is what He was asking of me at that moment. I did not realize that holding onto the home in Colombia was a way of placing my trust – my security in it, instead of in Him. He was asking me to let it go! He was asking me to trust Him! He was also asking me to let go of all the things that would prevent me from moving from “the yesterday” of my life into the “today” with Him. Let’s release ourselves into His care and plan and watch what He will do. It’s all about hearing His voice and responding to the love of our Father. He truly knows what we need so much better than we do. What is He saying to you today? What ideas, thoughts, possessions, relationships, traditions or religious ideas do you need to be set free from? The Holy Spirit is faithful to beckon us into the secret place so He can do the deep work within our souls. Will we respond? YES! We will.
One last thought … written during the COVID19 sequestering and the curious timing. Why this time of Passover? God, teach me! Show me. I want to know. I want to understand. Not from a worldly perspective but from your heart! I know that your people left Egypt with gold, silver, and all the riches of Egypt, but it’s not about that! It’s about being set free into a life lived with, for, and through YOU! Every man and every family were to stay inside and place the blood on the entrance of their homes. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit — our doorpost is our heart. Have we truly applied the blood of Christ to our lives? Not a religious concept, formula, or ritual, but truly applied His atonement, sacrifice, provision, and ways? It’s time to examine our hearts and to discover our priorities and focus. The death angel was sweeping through the world, not just from the virus but also from the world’s economic system. Exposing our fears and/or our faith. When times are difficult our hearts will truly be exposed. Our focus, our attempts to hold onto things, our thoughts, and beliefs. What if we make a decision for it to be about “death to our own ways”? To let Him reveal Himself and His ways to us. And as a result, allowing Him to completely realign our understanding of His ways. Let’s walk into “relationship” and leave “the system” behind for good! Let’s let the Holy Spirit transform us and build the temple made with Living Stones! Holy Spirit, show us Your ways! We want to be transformed from our old “bricks and mortar” religious system into Your heavenly kingdom! The Zion-realm!
“‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’ Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.” Haggai 2:9
