FRUIT FOR THE HUNGRY

In this moment of time many are experiencing a fresh move of God's Spirit and loving His nearness and presence, getting excited about the things He is doing. Why is this happening now? Are we looking, wondering, asking questions as to what it is He is wanting to accomplish - beyond meeting our needs and making us feel good?

I truly believe it is a time to look wider, not focus down onto what is taking place but hold it before us and ask the Lord to show us the wider context in HIS plans.

Let us move quietly with Him, expectant and listening, allowing Him to accomplish His work in our lives to prepare us for something even bigger than what we can see.

In March of last year I had the following vision, and suspect it may be a part of this wider picture, so have posted it again for consideration.

In this vision I was sitting on the threshing floor (a place the Lord had been calling me to regularly in the last few weeks).

The pressing cry that came three times was: “Let the chaff go and the wheat remain”, and then straight after that: “Lord have mercy”.

There was a desperation in me that He would blow away the chaff in my own life, and I could see He was wanting to prepare me for something that was coming. I also saw that He was drawing my attention to the chaff itself.

Immediately the question came: “If I blow away the chaff, where will it go?”

I then saw a lake of fire. It looked like a forest fire burning at a low level. The flames were not leaping high but were constant and the wind was constantly blowing on them keeping them at an intense heat. The flames were fuelled by the substance they were burning on which seemed like thick oil.

Matthew 3:12 came to mind : “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire”.

Again came the cry: “Lord have mercy”.

Now I saw the fire being held back. There was a wall that it could not break through. There had been something built up that held back the fire.

I could hear only one word : “HOLINESS”.

With this word came the understanding that as the people of God pursue holiness, it is as if they are all turned with their backs to the fire, and they become the wall that holds the fire back.

I saw that the pursuit of holiness allows the RIVER OF GOD to flow, it keeps His people cool and flows over those around them, a cooling, healing stream.

I saw that the people of God had become TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS and were beginning to release life and healing to those around them, and especially to those who were huddled together terrified of the fire.

I saw the LOST. They were no longer ignorant, but were afraid as they saw the fire approaching and also saw those who stood between them and the fire.

THEIR EYES HAD BEEN OPENED TO THEIR CONDITION AND THEIR DANGER.

I saw the RIVER before my feet, it was clear and there were a few small fish swimming in it, but as I looked upstream I saw more, and larger, fish coming.

I saw God’s people STANDING in this place, and those in need coming and picking the fruit of these lives and putting it into their mouths – they were HELPING THEMSELVES to what the Lord had produced.

THE HARVEST HAD BEGUN.

The scriptures that came to mind as I was looking at this were:

Jeremiah 17:7 & 8

Romans 8

Galatians 5-16 – 6:10

Revelation 22

I was aware of the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God, those who chose to walk by His Spirit and turn their backs on the things of this world that kept their souls comfortable.

I was aware that the pursuit of holiness is not the pointing out of the faults of others, but individually coming to the threshing floor and falling on our faces, asking Him to have mercy and remove the chaff from our lives.

We turn towards You, Father, make us Your own sons and daughters in this time. Help us to stand as Your trees with our roots in Your Word, watered by the river of Your Life, always bearing fruit.

We put our trust and confidence in You alone.