RAIN AND FIRE

Today I saw the Lord again in the cloud. A cloud full of lightning, rumblings and fire. Yet He moves carefully and gracefully towards us. Even as He comes in this way, the fire is released and the rain falls.

The Lord was speaking and reminding me that that He keeps all His promises and will truly never leave or forsake us. I then saw the first rays of the sun coming up at dawn.

He then went on to say:

Know this!

In this day you will see fire and you will see rain, and you will most truly see that I am going to move again.

Know this!

You will stand amazed and you will fall down, for all that I have spoken WILL come to pass.

The valley of decision is full and there is now a time for those I have prepared – those who have allowed me to prepare them – to be sent forth in a way that the world has not seen before.

This will be a going out in the fullness of My love and power.

It will not be the words of man that change hearts and minds, but the demonstration of who I am, of My love and power that far surpasses earthly things.

This gathering will be into Me, for Me, through My power.

Much has been hidden from your eyes, the multitude who wait are greater than you could comprehend – for there has been a preparation in the Spirit, unseen but by My hand.

Be ready, and prepare others to be ready.

Come to Me for the words for this season.

Come to Me for the strong wine you will need for this time.

Make Me your daily bread and come and drink deeply of what I am beginning to pour out.

Come seeking me alone, and for the sake of those who cannot come themselves.

Luke 1:53 (Amp)

He has filled and satisfied the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty-handed (without a gift).

As it was with Mary, so it will be in this time, for I choose those who are humble and willing, whose hearts are truly turned towards me.

I am looking for stables, those unlikely quiet places that are not produced by vanity and selfish ambition.

I will surprise.

I will overtake, and

I will continue to be Sovereign.

Allow me to rule and reign in your heart. It is the heart I seek, far more than the mind.

Men have glorified the mind, and all the achievements it gives, but I cherish and pursue hearts, for there I can find a quiet place to rest, and there is where all I am can be birthed and made manifest.

Many will be passed by, for they have relied on their minds and allowed their hearts to grow cold.

For this reason I am telling you – look for the fire and the rain.

Run into the fire, stand in the rain, that you will be made ready to go into the valley.

Rev. 1:7

Behold He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall gaze upon Him and beat their breasts and mourn and lament over Him. Even so. Amen.

ANGELIC MESSENGERS

The Lord allowed me to see angels descending carrying pages with writing on them.

These pages were pinned to the chests of various individuals.

This is what I heard Him saying:

My messengers are bringing to earth what has been already written and decreed in heaven.

This is being placed upon their hearts and will be the mark of true heavenly revelation.

The words will not be those of the men and women who speak them, but will ring with heaven’s truth and go forth anointed, causing astonishing effects in those who hear them.

The hearing will release visions and understanding

Will bring deliverance and healing,

And the hearers will be filled with love, peace, and that power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

These will be the signs that will follow the speaking of such words.

LOST BETWEEN THE TWO

There is a call and an instruction for a time of confusion and trouble, when there are 'multitudes in the valley of decision'. This is how it reads in Joel 2:17 & 18:

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar.

Let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

Then the Lord will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.

I have thought much about what it means to be in this place between the porch and the altar in this modern time, especially as I see many called to a place they do not understand - somewhere between the religious church structure and those who simply live in the world with no knowledge or thought of God at all.

There are individuals, and whole groups of people, beginning to move into this place, many wondering how and why they have found themselves there!

Is it possible that in this day, as nations are invaded with much that is not of God's Kingdom, He is placing people in order that they will have a clear view and begin to cry out for Him to come and be the answer?

Is it possible that in this very moment, those who feel most displaced are actually being divinely placed?

Is it possible that in these days when there is no actual temple building and as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:16 "... For we are the temple of the living God..." that a place has been established for those who will cry out for the lost, the broken, the sons and daughters who have not yet found their Father and His family?

Maybe it is worth considering our position and our hearts today if we find ourselves somewhere between two places with no earthly way of reconciling this position or explaining it. Is it time to give a sacrifice of prayer and praise from this place, exactly as He asks?

PRAYER FROM THE HEART

 

 

Dear Lord,

Give me the truths which are veiled by

the doctrines and articles of faith,

which are masked by the pious words

of sermons and books.

Let my eyes penetrate the veil

and tear off the mask,

that I can see your truth face to face

St. John of the Cross

PRAYING IN IRELAND

EARLY BEGINNINGS:

It seems important to write down the whole story behind my journey to Ireland – the beginning of it in January 2006 is as significant as the eventual journey and is definitely linked to what took place. It is a speaking into the time in which we live. It was in the context of the Lord speaking about the time ahead, not just for NZ but for other nations, that He brought my attention to what He was doing in Ireland. He then brought it to my attention again at the beginning of 2007.
As I began to pray into what He was saying, I would see a place I knew to be in Dublin, and it was a cobbled street that swept round past an open square, and then went on up a hill. He was also speaking about the lives of people I knew in Dublin at the same time, and began to make His own links in this regard.
In the same week the financial provision for the journey came, I met a young man from Dublin who knew where the cobbled street was and confirmed its location to me.
With this in mind I have included all that I was given for the year 2006 and onwards at the end of this journal.

THOUGHTS OF PREPARATION AND JOURNEY
Hosea 2:19-23 was given as a scripture for both a time of intercession and ministry in New Zealand, and to be carried as a word into Ireland. The Amplified Bible gives this version of the verses:

21. And in that day I will respond, says the Lord; I will respond to the heavens (which ask for rain to pour on the earth), and they shall respond to the earth (which begs for the rain it needs).
22. And the earth shall respond to the gain and the wine and the oil (which beseech it to bring them forth), and these shall respond to Jezreel (restored Israel who prays for a supply of them).
23. And I will sow her for Myself anew in the land, and I will have love, pity and mercy for her who had obtained love, pity and mercy; and I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people, and they shall say, You are my God!

As I prayed ahead of the journey the following emerged:
I see the vapour/smoke lingering over the land. The Lord has allowed the land to come to the end of spiritual strength and He is beginning to move freshly in His great strength.
The fresh wind of His Spirit will begin to blow away the dry dust of old religion and new life will come forth in its place.
I felt that as in the time of Hezekiah, the Lord was beginning to restore and to call back a priesthood into a consecrated lifestyle. The Lord is dealing with ‘remnants’ in this time.

The picture continued to grow of a faithful remnant seeking God. Those who are willing to look beyond the grave clothes (the death of the known and familiar) into the inexhaustible power of God displayed in the resurrection power that connects us to eternity – it continues forever.

On the day that I flew into Dublin, the Lord was speaking to me of man as a mist/vapour and temporary, but the cumulative vapour of lives laid down has great affect. This is the work of a continual remnant who pursue and will not let go of their God and His Spirit.

Temple Bar
I stood and prayed in the very place that I had seen in the spirit for so long. It is in Temple Bar in Dublin city. There is a prophetic deposit in this area that is yet to be fulfilled, and God’s glory will be seen in this area. Even as it was proclaimed in the first performances of Handel’s Messiah in this very area, there will be an outpouring of something that totally glorifies God again. It feels as if the enemy has tried to swamp Temple Bar with darkness to prevent this coming to pass, but the Lord will fulfill His purpose here.

Skellig Michael
In the very south of Ireland, it was an amazing discovery to find that on Skellig Michael, 7 kms off the coast from Ballinskelligs, a monastic community lived and prayed for 5 centuries, and then established a community on the very edge of the sea as they moved back to the mainland. There is a palpable sense of the area having been soaked in prayer even now, and it seemed that off this foundation there was a wave to be ridden from the south to the north of Ireland. It was wonderful to find a prayer room established here, and the name of the Lord over the house where it has been built.

Riding the Wave
In travelling it felt like being on the foaming front of a wave that never quite broke. And yet, as it moved across the land, its water seeped into old forgotten springs and wells, causing them to come to the surface again and begin to freshly release water.

Rebuilding and Restoration
The Lord was speaking to me from Ezra 3, and asking me to look for the sounds of building. In this day He is rebuilding something that seemed to be lost forever, and the sounds are not what we would expect to hear in the natural, but rather the sounds that were heard when the foundations of the temple were relaid and the altar rebuilt. There were three specific sounds mentioned:
Shouts of praise
Weeping
Shouts of joy
We are told that no-one could distinguish between these sounds because the noise they created was so loud, and the sound was heard far away. May we have ears to hear the sounds of building as they begin.

God moving in power off the foundation of the past
In Ballymoney, I was about to go to sleep when I saw a vision of a train coming out of a tunnel at great speed, right in my face! It passed and I could see into the incredibly long tunnel it had come from. The Lord asked me to walk into the tunnel with Him, as if looking back to where the train had originated. I did not reach its end before falling asleep.

In this northern part of Ireland the Lord was speaking to me of this nation and others where people had suffered famine, oppression, devastation, but were about to bring forth fire.
It was a picture of all of creation groaning, and the manifestation that results. There is a birthing of a new people in God, and a new and passionate devotion to Him. For these people the nations are their home – not any one place, but all the places He opens doors to. This will break down walls and barriers of territorial spirits that have held the church and nations captive.

Golden Rain
I saw drops of golden rain falling, softly and almost unnoticed, but they contained the very substance of heaven. Even as water finds its way into dry ground, so these drops will do the same. They will find their way into places that do not expect, or see, the Spirit in this time.
This is His Kingdom touching earth and transforming every place and person it touches. This will not look like previous revival or moves of God’s Spirit – this is thicker oil that penetrates deeply and cannot be washed off or wiped away. It penetrates, sticks, is completely absorbed – this is a far deeper work than has been seen before.

The Lord was speaking out of Hosea 10 – the result of doing well in our own strength!
Hosea 10:12 – the antidote to current religiosity – this is what brings forth the rain.
Hosea 2:19-23 – God’s promise to those who have been willing to go into the place He calls them to.

SUMMARY
Thoughts on Ireland and Prayer
Rode a wave from the south to the north of Ireland.
Beginning in Glendalough, carrying on through Temple Bar, Dublin, it was from Ballinskelligs that the wave began to roll forward.
Glendalough was a fountain, Temple Bar a precious deposit, and the Skelligs produced a wave of ancient prayer.
The voices that were heard by God alone on Skellig Michael cannot be silenced, for His praises were heard and erupted into the heavenlies over Ireland for centuries.
It seemed we rode on the face of a spiritual wave that moves with power and has not yet run out.
The foaming edge of this wave now touches and erupts again in the north, in Coleraine which has seen this power touch it before, and in the places where springs and wells of God’s Spirit are being re-opened in this day.

I see the weariness of the land in Ireland, but I also see the wave going over it, re-activating the ancient fountains and wells, causing them to open and bubble up to give freshness and life again.
I see people, separated by God Himself for the work of this time.
I see and emergence of those He is calling for Himself in these days – their allegiance is to God alone and they know they are His.
These ones will ride the wave, they will know its power, provision, and His presence.
The wave bubbles and foams at its edge, it is effervescent and gives life.

It is as if the deep foundations of prayer laid in early centuries are now being poured out again over the land, and this is beginning to produce people who once again are willing to move out to the edge of all that is known in order to hold purely to God and all that they hold precious in them. The wave is reproducing after its own kind. They are breaking out of religiosity and the social norms or take up a new position in Jesus. They move away from the existing order to hold to what is pure and true – alive and not religious. This protects the future.

Those who are privileged to ride this wave must never forget it’s source – for He is their Way, Life and Truth, and should be careful to remember and honour those who laboured in love to bring it forth. These two things will hold them safe in the foaming forefront of this mighty wave.

PRAYER
Lord teach us to pray … not the selfish prayers of men, but the selfless speaking of a heart captivated by You alone; words spoken to You alone; lives lived for You alone. Words that erupt in silence out of hearts given only to You, free from judgment and malice, from envy and dissatisfaction. A pouring forth out of hearts focussed on heaven; out of lives lived for Christ alone – His glory their great hope. Lord show us the power of prayer brought forth from the altar, from lives laid down and lived sacrificially, not for human gain, but given over to what is eternal, born out of eternity set in the hearts of men and women.


Wisdom To Contend For The Faith In 2006 (January 2006)

“….I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Jude 3(b)

As I have sat before the Lord reviewing the past year, and seeking direction for the one ahead, the following have emerged with great emphasis. He led me first into the book of Jude, and then into 1 Corinthians, chapters 1 and 2.

…You dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 20 & 21.

2006 will be the beginning of a great call to 'contend for our faith' which will be tried and tested as never before.
Alongside this there will be a release of astonishing grace and strength as enabling to do this. This is a year to eagerly desire spiritual gifts and to esteem the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives
This is a year to pursue Godly wisdom and to be taught by the Spirit of God.

WISDOM

A message for all.
In the past two weeks I have felt Him quietly emphasising the importance of wisdom, Godly wisdom as opposed to the wisdom of this world. I believe this will be required in large measure in the days ahead. 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 explains that “Jews look for miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

1 Corinthians 12:7&8
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom…..
The first manifestation of the Holy Spirit mentioned is the gift of the word (or message) of wisdom.
Have we sought this a eagerly as the manifestation of healing, miracles, prophecy? I believe the Lord is drawing our attention to this as we enter a new year.

I felt the Lord was encouraging us to find the tools needed for contending. There are new ways to be learned. "It is written.." will taken on new meaning to many who will discover just how powerful and accurate the Word of God is. The Word Himself is coming ever closer to taking up His throne in this world. Do we know the values and principles of His Kingdom even better than those of this world? Chapters 11 and 12 of Luke's gospel are most worthy of our attention at this time.

PICTURE OF A PEOPLE GATHERED TOGETHER, WATCHING AND WAITING – LOOKING INTO THE DISTANCE.
It appeared we are in transition to a new age, we need to keep the wineskins wet and flexible. Only eternity in our hearts, the knowledge of having entered into a new realm that is not finite, but forever in Him, will help us look ahead beyond this world to His coming, and enable us to live accordingly. More than ever we need to know and believe that He has placed eternity in our hearts.

I felt great concern for those who continue to look at and concern themselves with the works of darkness as they are in danger of being consumed by what they look at. I feel the Lord would encourage us all to look up and see Him, the One WHO IS ABLE to do more than we can ask or imagine – we MUST see Him on the throne. As Jude writes "He is able to do all that is required to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

I feel He is encouraging us to SEE HIM, SEE HIS KINGDOM, KNOW HIM, KNOW HIS POWER AND WISDOM.

I SEE HIM STANDING DRESSED AS THE LORD OF HOSTS WITH HIS GREAT SWORD AT HIS SIDE.

As I looked at this, He began to give me GLIMPSES INTO VARIOUS NATIONS.

New Zealand
I felt the warm glow of the Lord's affection, the great love in His heart, for New Zealand as a nation. This had nothing to do with our current state spiritually, but everything to do with the love of a Father for His children, that pours out affection to them and embraces them, even the prodigals.

Ireland
I saw something that looked like columns of steam/smoke arising from a long crack in the ground. It brought with it a sense of something ancient being released out of the soil of Ireland. It was like gas that once ignited becomes a flame that cannot be put out. As I watched it burst into flames that lept high above the land.

INTERNATIONAL
I saw huge willow trees bending low over a stream. They began to shed their leaves that fell like a shower into the stream. The 'weeping willows' seem to represent a time in autumn when there will be a reason for weeping and letting go of what has grown in the summer. The trees live on but there is a shedding of all that they have carried into the stream of God's purpose. These are big, solid trees, with roots going down deep into the soil.
I felt there would be a redistribution of ministry and activity to better suit what is coming and it was necessary to let go even if it hurts!

I then saw the stream frozen over in winter, but beneath its surface many little fish darting around, it was full of life. What appeared like nothing at all was only the beginning of growth and life that would emerge in the spring.

I saw a large bear (which represents the cruel, crushing one) walk over the frozen stream, but it passed on over, not affecting the life below the frozen water. Everything that was life was hidden and protected.

I saw tiny flowers begin to melt the ice and emerge – spring came swiftly and with great joy.

I sense that this great change will feel to many as if winter is all there is. Be encouraged that because our God is faithful, spring and summer will surely come.

Australia
There was a picture of many tiny shapes moving busily across and around the nation. This is a time of productivity and growth. I felt the Lord would remind His people not to let this obscure their sight of Him, remembering that growth is given by Him in order to produce fruit.

Tahiti
I saw huge, beautiful flowers, blossoming in abundance over and above Tahiti. There was a sense that something very good for the Pacific would blossom out of Tahiti this year.

England
Just like last year, I saw again the rivers of people flowing through the streets of England. What began last year will continue to flow and grow. It is impossible to give a picture of the compact strength that is portrayed in what I see, and how tightly the people flow together – it is amazing.

COLD & ICY HEARTS

Many feel this is their current state, cold and hard. I feel the Lord is encouraging all to draw near to the love of God and let this warmth melt their hearts. It is not what we can do, feel, or accomplish, but the knowledge that He alone gives life, and is truly our Way, Truth, and Life, that will take us back into the fire. He is encouraging us to invite Him to do His work in our lives.

A COMMISSIONING OF HIS OWN

I saw people gathering around Jesus as Lord of Hosts. They were kneeling down before Him and He took His great sword and gently touched the shoulders with the words "You are Mine". There is a commissioning taking place now for what is to come. On our knees at His feet is a good place to be.

INEXHAUSTIBLE GREATNESS

Today I feel as though I have been given a glimpse of something amazing that fills me with wonder! It is the INEXHAUSTIBLE GREATNESS OF GOD - it never runs out but continues for all time, all eternity. EVERYTHING that stands in the way of our seeing and receiving from all that He is truly is just a VAIN IMAGINATION.
Because He created everything, He knows everything, and EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS, that includes you and me - He wrote the handbook! He knows how we run, and He knows how to fix us, because He knows every part of each one of us.

Lord, when I look at You and begin to KNOW YOU, I can begin to KNOW MYSELF because I am made in your image. You are the blueprint for all I am and all of my life.

Help me today to fix my eyes not of what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18).
Today Lord, I find ALL MY ANSWERS IN YOU.
Today I reach heavenward and to Your throne, for YOU ARE MY ALL IN ALL.
You truly are THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE. I agree with you "I AM' and I say "Yes, YOU ARE".

(2 Cor.10:13)
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Today I bring EVERYTHING (thought, problem, situation) and place it under Your feet Jesus.
EVERYTHING tha argues with Your INEXHAUSTIBLE GREATNESS is brought low, pulled down, before the knowledge of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, and of His Holy Spirit.

This is my warfare Lord, to place YOU before, over, and greater, than anything else FOREVER AND ALWAYS.
There is nothing greater than You, CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF MY LIFE.
I choose to take hold of the truth of Your Word into my life today "THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH". (Gal.3:11b).
Yes, I will live my life in the knowledge and love of my God, and by faith in HIS INEXHAUSTIBLE GREATNESS.
Amen.

PROPHETIC QUESTION

Last night I heard a prophetic question posed to the church, and to each of us individually, from Luke 24:5
“WHY DO YOU LOOK FOR THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD?”

Many are standing staring at the grave clothes, or digging in the ashes and ruins of what has passed.
They no longer find Jesus in the place that they had known or thought Him to be.
They stand ‘perplexed and wondering’ as the women in Luke 24:4.
This is the place of one of God’s SUDDENLIES.
“…behold two men in dazzling raiment SUDDENLY stood beside them”.
Their place of despair was SUDDENLY a place of angelic visitation.
Mary was sobbing in her anguish (John 20:14 Amp) when she TURNED AROUND and Jesus was standing there!

We need to learn to turn around.
To take our gaze off what is only a remnant of death, and of a passing from old to new.
It is time to fix our gaze on the living, risen, Jesus Christ, who standing OUTSIDE THE TOMB.

David’s prophetic Psalm 22 tells us of the time we live in:

22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations shall bow down and worship before you.
22:28 For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s and He is the ruler over nations.
22:29 All the mighty ones upon earth shall eat (in thanksgiving) and worship;
All they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him,
Even He who cannot keep Himself alive.
22:30 Posterity shall serve Him, they shall tell of the Lord to the next generation.
22:31 They shall come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born
- that He has done it (that it is finished!).

This prophetic word has spanned the centuries and is still continuing to be fulfilled.
It is time to look at THE TRUTH, THE WAY, THE LIFE as He stands among the living with the desire to give life.

THE DIFFERENCE IS ALSO THE LINK

As we move further into this year I am constantly encountering circumstances that convince me that 'the walls are coming down'. It is as if the Lord is at work making a beautiful garment for His Bride.
I am reminded that the garment Jesus wore was seamless, and it seems to me that He is weaving something seamless and wonderful now for the Bride, and it is truly the work of His hands.

Sometimes it feels as if He is saying to us that He let us do the best we could, and now He is showing us the best He can do for us.
Walls are coming down - denominational, cultural, traditional, gender, age - all these things are being redefined and we are being challenged as to where we stand and how we view one another.

This past week I had the privilege of praying at an event where people of many different races, traditions, and lifestyles were gathered. I stood looking out over a gathering of some 10,000 people, all shapes, sizes, colours, and ages. Some were walking with Jesus, and many did not know anything about Him.
I found myself weeping before the Lord for my brothers and sisters, the ones He had created that did not yet know Him, the ones who belong in this family and are missing from it.

I felt so at one with all who were there, and the only difference between them and me was Jesus, who in an instant of time could become the link between us if we would allow it.

Many in the crowd had lived lifestyles different to mine because they had been born into different families and circumstances, but we all have the same creator, and if we will acknowledge Him, the very same Father.

This beautiful seamless garment He is weaving in our time is put together when the difference becomes the link - when Jesus enters into a heart, and the child becomes part of an amazing family, no longer lonely, no longer lost, no longer without hope, but now joined together with all who have the same hope - Christ IN us, the hope of glory, the promise of eternity, the link that makes this family strong.

WATCH FOR THE BIRDS!

Today I believe the Lord is admonishing His people to STAY WITH THE SACRIFICE.
I believe the Lord is speaking to many of His people in the place of waiting today.
Many have walked in obedience and done what He asked of them, but have not yet seen the fruit of that labour.
He gave me revelation out of the story about Abraham that is wonderful instruction for us in this hour.

Genesis 15:8
Abram asked God how he could know that he would gain possession of the land God had spoken to him about.
HE WANTED TO KNOW HOW HE COULD REALLY KNOW WHAT THE LORD WAS SAYING WAS TRUE.
The Lord’s response in v.9 is that He asks Abram to bring him "a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
IT WAS GOING TO COST ABRAM SOMETHING, THERE WAS WORK TO BE DONE FOR THE LORD.

Abram brought all these to the Lord, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds however he did not cut in half.
THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MESSY, BLOODY, HARD WORK.

THEN the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away!
THERE IS A STRONG MESSAGE HERE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE.
Many have given an offering or sacrifice to the Lord in answer to His call. Many have laboured long and hard in obedience to lay something out before the Lord.

WE NEED TO KNOW THAT THE BIRDS OF PREY WILL COME.
There will be actions and words that seem to totally negate all that we have done, that seem to cut right across it or act as if it was never done at all. The enemy will mock our efforts, our vision, our obedience.

BUT ABRAM DROVE THEM AWAY.
We must look for what is of God and God alone. He encourages, strengthens, guides, comforts, and loves us!

As the sun was setting (at the END OF THE DAY) Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
THEN the Lord said to him:
"Know for certain …" God began to assure Abram of his future and of his plans for future generations. Vv13-16.
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed
between the pieces.
ON THAT DAY the Lord made a COVENANT with Abram about the land He was giving to him.

Today many are waiting on the Lord for the fulfillment and confirmation of visions and calls. There is much here to learn and note:

The Lord came to Abram in a DARK CLOUD (not in the way he would perhaps have expected).
The Lord spoke and explained HIS PROCESS.
The Lord spoke of RESTORATION in the 4th generation – He is long-term in his thinking!
The Lord promised Abram PEACE.
The Lord ACCEPTED HIS SACRIFICE.
The Lord made a COVENANT PROMISE.

THEN is a wonderful word when we come across it in the scriptures … there is always more to come!
I truly believe the Lord would encourage us to hold on in this day. To keep watch over what has been done in His Name and at His bidding. Drive off discouragement and negativity. Hold on for that moment when God will come and accept and bless what has been laid out for Him.

2007: REMAIN - ABIDE - STAND - BEAR FRUIT

POWERED AHEAD BY HIS SPIRIT!

There are four outstanding instructions for the year ahead.

REMAIN (John 15:4)
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

ABIDE (Psalm 91 all, but especially verses 1 & 2)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

STAND (Matthew 24:12&13)
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

BEAR FRUIT (John 15:2)
"He cuts of every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

REMAIN

In this season the Lord is calling us to understand what it means to "remain in Him" under all circumstances.
Some have, or will, suffer loss as part of the coming change. Remain in Him, and out of the loss will come fruitfulness.

Learning to "remain" helps us to be positioned to be fruitful. The Lord gave a wonderful illustration of what happens to a blossom before it bears fruit as He showed me the importance of this:

- The beautiful blossom is invaded by insects and bees, pecked at by birds.
- Its beautiful petals fall to the ground and die.
HOWEVER, it remains attached to the branch in order to obtain nutrients to grow into fruit.

Learn to remain in Him regardless of circumstances and feelings - He is THE BRANCH to which we are to remain attached.

ABIDE

There is fresh anointing to understand and take hold of the completeness and sustaining power of this Psalm.
He is calling us to find our rest in Him CONSTANTLY. We are to abide in Him, under His wings and in His great shadow, and He will prove our faithful refuge and fortress.
Even as the battle rages around us, and it surely will, "it will not come near you."

This is a season when He will give us true understanding that 'the weapons of our warfare are not carnal' and will teach us how to fight the good fight out of His strength and presence. This can only take place as we learn not to be drawn to the battle but to take our place in Him & be led by His Spirit. This is a place of great strength rather than passivity.

Picture:
I see the sharp bow of a boat that is moving strongly forward. It is not carried by the sea or driving by a man-made engine, but is encapsulated in God's power which clears the way in front and at the sides, and powerfully, but smoothly, thrusts forward. He is completely behind the boat - the source of this great power. He is both the beginning and the destination and the vessel is held COMPLETELY in Him. This is an amazing picture of the completeness of Psalm 91!

STAND

In the coming season we will be called to STAND, having done all else, we will need to know how to find our place in Him and to STAND, REMAIN, ABIDE in it. Surely the winds will blow and the storms will come, and we are called to position ourselves on our Rock and STAND firm for as long as it takes!

It is faith that enable us to stand firm - faith in the One who is the answer and who contends on our behalf. Faith that our God is big enough and is truly Who He says He is!

BEAR FRUIT

The Lord gave me a vision that was an indicator of great fruitfulness to come for those who will allow His Spirit to produce an increase of His Presence and Compassion in their lives. The fruit grows within the individual before it is evident to those who require it.
IT IS THE EXTERNAL EVIDENCE OF INTERNAL GROWTH that comes not by might or power but by the Spirit of God.

Vision:

In a recent vision I 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 fueled 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”.

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. (Psalm 92:12-15)

I saw the LOST. They were no longer ignorant, but were afraid as they saw the fire approaching and they 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.

In the year ahead fruit will ripen and be evident, some of this has been forming for decades.
While there is still time, press into the Lord, submit to His process and work, be willing to be refined and positioned for the days that are ahead.

I see huge trees laden with ripe fruit that will begin to fall.
Will the fruit be eaten by the hungry and the lost?
Will it be lost, trampled under foot or left to rot on the ground?
Will it be recognized at all by those who have not desired eyes to see?

May Jesus not find us as He did the fig tree, looking beautiful, but all leaves and no fruit!
He will come looking for His share of the crop at harvest time (Matthew 21:41) and may He not say to us as He did to a previous people and generation:
"Therefore I tell you that the Kingdom of Heaven will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."

Many were invited to the wedding banquet who did not come, and even some of those who came were thrown out for they had not taken the trouble to come properly dressed for the event. Some missed it altogether for they had not obtained sufficient oil for their lamps.

PURSUIT OF THE BRIDE

The Lord is coming again to His Bride, wooing her with passion and gentle strength. In this hour He is looking for real commitment, covenant commitment, there will be no turning back.

(Dream 23.12.06)
As I stood talking to someone a young man came and stood alongside of me, taking my left hand in his right hand, giving me a great sense of strength and security.
I moved off to do something else, and then as I came back to where he was, he knelt down, took my hand, and asked me if I would become his wife.
He presented me with a tray of beautiful diamond rings set in white gold that I might to chose one. He had made all of these rings himself.
I was hesitant wondering if I knew him well enough to marry him, yet he had no doubt at all that this was right and would take place.
The young man looked like an adult version of someone who had been my 'first love' at maybe 10 years of age!

This dream is very self-explanatory, but the intensity of activity and feeling in it suggest that the Lord is speaking not just to me but to His Body.
Our first love is coming to us again, and asking us for real commitment to Him forever.

There is great symbolism in this dream:
Right hand – he held my hand with his right hand – the hand of blessing.
Standing beside me – indicates uprightness, holding ground, holding position.
Marriage – “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.1” (Rev. 19:9)
White Gold – Gold tried in the fire – producing faith and divine nature.
Diamonds – Precious saints.

He is coming to call His precious saints to a wedding.
He stands in uprightness beside them, giving to them His hand of blessing.
He is offering eternal gifts of faith and His divine nature.
He has no doubt about who He has chosen, even though we may feel uncertain or unworthy of this honour.

This is VERY SIGNIFICANT and VERY PRECIOUS like the beautiful ring that was being offered.


PREPARATION FOR CHANGE

The Body of Christ has been given many opportunities/circumstances to enable them to become flexible and prepare for change.
Those who have learnt from these events will find transition easier than those who have fought them.

Even now, pray for flexibility of the Spirit, eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to know the ways of the Lord.

Pray for the spirit that was on the sons of Issachar (1 Chron. 12:32) who had understanding of the times, and knew what Israel should do.
These are men who truly had, eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to know the ways of the Lord.