Invitation
God isn't giving warnings of hard years ahead to help you hunker down and "ride out the storm." This is the opposite of what He wants.
All prophecy is an invitation. Because God has chosen to relate to mankind in love, He has chosen free will. God has placed such dignity on mankind that he honors the choices we make as individuals, as families, as local congregations and as geographic regions.
God gave dominion...government...of the earth to mankind from the start. When God gives something, it is REALLY given. God will never withdraw this partnership in government between God and man. We have our part to do, and He has His. He won't do our part and we can't do His:
Psalms 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord ’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.
Matthew 18:18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
There is a working order to how God made creation. The Father had the plan in His heart. Jesus...the Word made flesh...spoke the words expressing the Fathers desire. The Holy Spirit, who is the power of God on earth, created at the sound of Jesus' voice:
Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Genesis 1:2-3 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Heaven, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, moves at the sound of the Word. If Jesus has a Body, of which He is the head and His Bride is the rest...two as one flesh...my mouth is His mouth if what I am saying agrees with the plan in the Father's heart. Even the enemy must submit to God's divine pattern of leadership for the earth:
James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
This is how the earth is governed by the decree of God. Because of this true dynamic of life...this fascinating dynamic of life...all prophecy, whether it is personal, for your family, your church body, or your region is an INVITATION. Prophecy is not Christian fortune telling. A prophetic word spoken is never a done deal.
Fortune telling will never work because God has decided to give dignity to mankind's choices. While God knows your future, God refuses to choose your future, because to strip away the dignity of your choice is to violate love. God will never violate love. Ever. You are free to change your mind at any moment, and the consequences for those decision are real. This is what makes repentance so powerful. We can actually change a very negative future simply by changing our minds about the "trajectory" of our decision, and agreeing with God. This is ALWAYS the point of prophecy.
Right now, I am hearing many "negative" sounding prophecies. A prophecy, if it is from God, is never ACTUALLY negative. A prophecy that warns of negative consequences is no more negative than a mom telling her little kid "don't touch that stove or you will burn yourself."
Right now, there is a storm coming. God is speaking to many of His people with dreams and insight about a very hard time coming over the course of the next few years. This is an accurate word, but it IS AN INVITATION. This doesn't have to be the reality for you, your family, or your geographic location. The fate of all of these REALLY DOES LIE WITH WHAT YOU DO WITH THE WORD OF PROPHECY. We are in a time that all-in REPENTANCE is required. We are well into the time leading up to the seven year tribulation...the last 7 years of human history leading up to the return of Jesus, called the 70th week of Daniel. Repentance is the answer for all of God's people in this hour.
God wants you to agree with His plan, which is to gather together in one accord, repent...agree with God...in a solemn assembly that includes everyone willing to repent on behalf of the people and the land.
Repentance has lost its luster in most of the Christian church. Repentance simply means deciding to alter the trajectory of decision making to agree with God. Usually, by the time humans realize repentance is necessary, a 180-degree turn is required to agree with God.
Arrogance has mostly killed the beauty of repentance in the Western Church. Most people, when they hear the word repent, think that would be a good idea for someone else to do. In the Bible, though, repentance usually started with those who seem to least need to repent. Because a sensitivity in the Spirit is necessary to sense a need for repentance, and a mature longing to see God get what He desires over what that individual desires are required for repentance to actually happen, it will almost always have to start with those closest to God.
The perfect example of this is Daniel. One of the few who were living in agreement with God in his generation, Daniel is the one who changed the future of his nation on many occasions, simply by breaking away from what everyone else was doing, and agreeing with God about what was necessary.
Daniel 9:2-7, 17-18 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.... Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
This is exactly what God did. Not only did God grant Daniel's request, in the time between Daniel's repentance and the actual transformation of Jerusalem, god quickly gave Daniel insight into the larger purposes and plans. When you agree with God in repentance, He draws you deeper into the "secret council of the Most High God."
Daniel 9:20-23 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision
We are at the beginning of the last hour of history. Vision is going to be incredibly useful. God is looking for anyone that will agree with Him about the answer to the problem He is setting up, so that He can demonstrate through them that He is the only hope for all mankind:
Joel 2:11-18 The Lord is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before. Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. Let the priests, who minister in the Lord ’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord ! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’” Then the Lord will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land.
This is the House of Prayer. God isn't warning you so you will just lie down!
All prophecy is an invitation. Because God has chosen to relate to mankind in love, He has chosen free will. God has placed such dignity on mankind that he honors the choices we make as individuals, as families, as local congregations and as geographic regions.
God gave dominion...government...of the earth to mankind from the start. When God gives something, it is REALLY given. God will never withdraw this partnership in government between God and man. We have our part to do, and He has His. He won't do our part and we can't do His:
Psalms 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord ’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.
Matthew 18:18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
There is a working order to how God made creation. The Father had the plan in His heart. Jesus...the Word made flesh...spoke the words expressing the Fathers desire. The Holy Spirit, who is the power of God on earth, created at the sound of Jesus' voice:
Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Genesis 1:2-3 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Heaven, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, moves at the sound of the Word. If Jesus has a Body, of which He is the head and His Bride is the rest...two as one flesh...my mouth is His mouth if what I am saying agrees with the plan in the Father's heart. Even the enemy must submit to God's divine pattern of leadership for the earth:
James 4:7-10 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
This is how the earth is governed by the decree of God. Because of this true dynamic of life...this fascinating dynamic of life...all prophecy, whether it is personal, for your family, your church body, or your region is an INVITATION. Prophecy is not Christian fortune telling. A prophetic word spoken is never a done deal.
Fortune telling will never work because God has decided to give dignity to mankind's choices. While God knows your future, God refuses to choose your future, because to strip away the dignity of your choice is to violate love. God will never violate love. Ever. You are free to change your mind at any moment, and the consequences for those decision are real. This is what makes repentance so powerful. We can actually change a very negative future simply by changing our minds about the "trajectory" of our decision, and agreeing with God. This is ALWAYS the point of prophecy.
Right now, I am hearing many "negative" sounding prophecies. A prophecy, if it is from God, is never ACTUALLY negative. A prophecy that warns of negative consequences is no more negative than a mom telling her little kid "don't touch that stove or you will burn yourself."
Right now, there is a storm coming. God is speaking to many of His people with dreams and insight about a very hard time coming over the course of the next few years. This is an accurate word, but it IS AN INVITATION. This doesn't have to be the reality for you, your family, or your geographic location. The fate of all of these REALLY DOES LIE WITH WHAT YOU DO WITH THE WORD OF PROPHECY. We are in a time that all-in REPENTANCE is required. We are well into the time leading up to the seven year tribulation...the last 7 years of human history leading up to the return of Jesus, called the 70th week of Daniel. Repentance is the answer for all of God's people in this hour.
God wants you to agree with His plan, which is to gather together in one accord, repent...agree with God...in a solemn assembly that includes everyone willing to repent on behalf of the people and the land.
Repentance has lost its luster in most of the Christian church. Repentance simply means deciding to alter the trajectory of decision making to agree with God. Usually, by the time humans realize repentance is necessary, a 180-degree turn is required to agree with God.
Arrogance has mostly killed the beauty of repentance in the Western Church. Most people, when they hear the word repent, think that would be a good idea for someone else to do. In the Bible, though, repentance usually started with those who seem to least need to repent. Because a sensitivity in the Spirit is necessary to sense a need for repentance, and a mature longing to see God get what He desires over what that individual desires are required for repentance to actually happen, it will almost always have to start with those closest to God.
The perfect example of this is Daniel. One of the few who were living in agreement with God in his generation, Daniel is the one who changed the future of his nation on many occasions, simply by breaking away from what everyone else was doing, and agreeing with God about what was necessary.
Daniel 9:2-7, 17-18 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.... Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
This is exactly what God did. Not only did God grant Daniel's request, in the time between Daniel's repentance and the actual transformation of Jerusalem, god quickly gave Daniel insight into the larger purposes and plans. When you agree with God in repentance, He draws you deeper into the "secret council of the Most High God."
Daniel 9:20-23 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision
We are at the beginning of the last hour of history. Vision is going to be incredibly useful. God is looking for anyone that will agree with Him about the answer to the problem He is setting up, so that He can demonstrate through them that He is the only hope for all mankind:
Joel 2:11-18 The Lord is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before. Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. Let the priests, who minister in the Lord ’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord ! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’” Then the Lord will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land.
This is the House of Prayer. God isn't warning you so you will just lie down!
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