Progressive Revelation Part II

The nature of progressive revelation is that God gives us keys along the way, from one level of glory and understanding to another. The Lord is concerned just as much about the process as He is about end results. He is God of the journey, not just God of the destination.

Truth itself, in a very real sense, is progressive. The fundamental truths of our faith are absolute and unshakeable; however, they are living absolutes. God is always moving and brooding over creation. God’s movement in the earth has always been progressive. From one covenant to the next, He has been in the process of revealing His heart from depth to depth. The subsequent birth of denominations and new movements in the church age have likewise ushered in restored truths, each one adding upon the other to serve as tributaries that culminate in the river of God.

As individuals, we progress in our ability to see, hear and perceive the things of God. Along the way, we may try to cut corners and achieve God’s benefits through human strife like Jacob. But the ultimate goal of all creation is to find all its fountains in Him, and to cherish His heart above all. As we recognize that the great Revealer is walking with us in this journey, we are less likely to prize any of His individual benefits above Him.

Pursue wisdom

The degree of revelation in which we are walking is tied intricately to the level of wisdom we possess. Wisdom and revelation are used almost interchangeably at times in scripture, though they are distinct from one another. Hidden things are shared with the wise.

A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:5-7).

Our growth capacity for revelation corresponds with our pursuit of wisdom. Even Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40). There is a process of maturity in our spiritual development that is a prerequisite for moving onto the meatier things of God:

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Heb. 5:14).

Overall, Jesus Himself is the source and end of all revelation. The Spirit of Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. To the degree we are filled with Him, we will grow in our revelatory capacity. But this requires more than mere gifting. The Lord also expects us to exercise and develop our gifts, adding to them skill.

Adding skill opens doors

The scriptures tell us that David played his instrument with skill. The temple of the Lord was built by skilled craftsmen, and the armies of God were always skilled in the ways of war. Skill usually takes time and practice. Even Beethoven did not write his best symphonies at age five. He practiced. Skill must be added to the giftings of the Lord, and this good stewardship makes room for even more anointing.

How do we develop revelatory skill? For one, we must take a “use it or lose it” approach to our gifts. We must simply exercise them. It also helps to step out past where you are comfortable. Find a safe environment to practice your gifts and push them to the limit. Learn from others. Study. Find your calling, and hone your craft.

In the meantime, do not run from God’s purging flame as He develops character within you. Allow Him to work humility, patience, peace, longsuffering, kindness and all the fruits of His Spirit into your life. Seek to hear God not just for your own life and destiny, but for other people. This displaces selfishness and makes you a more trustworthy servant and friend. In the long run, you will find that it opens a door for the Lord to speak more clearly into your own life.

There are obviously basic, fundamental necessities for prophetic growth: Immerse yourself in the scriptures, make time for the Lord to speak to you in prayer, have regular times of worship, learn from mature prophetic ministries and simply stay teachable, without ever thinking that you have “arrived” as God’s man of the hour. The list goes on.
The important focus of this lesson is not how to get revelation, but to understand its progressive nature. To this end, we should not despise the incomplete parts of the puzzle that God gives us along the way. Nor should we think that a single part comprises the whole.

Purity releases power

God does not keep things hidden from us out of spite. He wants to come closer. The bottom line is that we can have as much prophetic revelation as we can handle. The greater our capacity for it, the more the Lord will share of His hidden manna. This is why God will often hold back revelation from us until we embrace purity of heart. However, prophetic gifting often develops separately from character growth. This is why we should never confuse powerful gifting with impeccable maturity. Gifting and character develop on separate courses, like two train tracks, and both are needed to move ministry forward. They are connected, but not entirely dependent upon one another. Both are needed to keep the train from derailing. Integrity and personal holiness issues will ultimately affect prophetic gifting.

The time factor

Another reason that revelation comes progressively is simply because God is so immense and multi-dimensional. We can hear something from the Lord that is for 20 years down the road. Or 400 years down the road. We can hear something that is for a future generation to accomplish – not even myself. We can hear something that is for our neighbor and accidentally take it as a personal directive. This can be confusing.
God is outside of time and space, so knowing the appropriate interpretation and application of prophetic words and experiences are just as important as receiving them. This can come with time and exercise.

Since we are addressing progressive revelation – revelation that comes to us bit by bit – it is important to look closer at the time factor. Spiritual vision comes in degrees, but this does not hinge on time itself. True maturity has very little to do with how many years you have been a Christian. It has nothing to do with your position in the church or even how much practice or experience you have had in exercising your gift. Skill and experience are factors, but not the most important ones. True maturity depends on one thing: How much of the Lord you have.

The closer we get the Lord, the more he entrusts us with the hidden secrets of the Kingdom.

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (2 Chr. 16:9).

This should be an incentive for anyone – young or old, learned or inexperienced – to dive in for more of the Lord. God is not looking for age, experience or degrees. He is looking for hearts. We should not be intimidated by our perceived lack of personal training, but inspired by the fact that God is literally at our fingertips. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

By His Spirit, God can “teach you all things” (John 14:26) if you spend time and draw close to Him. There are no age or class restrictions. In fact, in these last days, the Lord says he will pour out His Spirit on young and old; and even children will prophesy.

Intimacy unlocks revelation

Jesus intentionally cloaked the meaning of His teachings in riddles, to prevent them from being understood by the immature and unbelieving:

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables …” (Mark 4:11).

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces …” (Matt. 7:6).

God is very intentional when He hides, and it is never out of malice, but for our best interest. As we draw closer to the Lord’s heart, we bypass the need for dark speech. Friendship with God enables us to ascend into the chambers of His secret counsel. We become like Abraham, who was called a “friend of God.” Of him, the Lord said:

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”(Gen. 18:17)

Understand that God has already extended friendship toward us, but it is our responsibility to draw near and extend our own friendship to Him. That is why the scriptures tell us, draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

God speaks progressively because He wants to keep us in a place of total dependence on Him. Knowledge and spiritual foresight can be dangerous apart from utter reliance on the Lord. It is actually to our benefit that the Lord does not reveal all of His majesty to us in our weakened state. It would destroy us.

We love control, so we want to know exactly what God is doing, in order to fit it into our own schedule and preferences. Yet we can never subtract the mystery and the “unknowing” that is an essential part of the Christian walk. We do not always understand the mystery, but during the process of discovery a relationship is being formed – we can have “fellowship with the mystery” (Eph. 3:9).

Idolatry of revelation

Revelation, when pursued for its own sake, can become an idol – a distraction from the presence of God.

In fact, apart from intimacy with the Father, our prophetic endeavors run the risk of devolving into Christian “fortune telling.” This is another reason why we should allow God to speak on his own time schedule – telling us what we need to hear, when we need to hear it. Even psychics in the secular realm are able to ascend into the second heaven and pull out information by their own will and unredeemed gifting. It is imperative that we get ours from the Third Heaven, directly from the throne of God. And that means not just hearing what we want to hear, but exactly what the heart of God is saying at a given time.

Yes, we should be very zealous for more revelation. We are told to “eagerly desire” to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1). But we desire revelation because it is an extension of the Lord. We do not just milk the Lord for goodies. Here is the critical factor: Do we seek revelation, in order to draw nearer to the Lord? Or do we seek the Lord, in order to gain more revelation?

When this issue is resolved, and our motivation is purified, the level of revelatory experience in our lives will increase dramatically. But it will be properly directed and we will cease to strive in this arena. The goal of all prophetic revelation is not simply to get us a better job, build a bigger church or to be more spiritual. The goal is to draw us closer to the Lord.

The Mystery revealed

Christ is the eternal Mystery. He is always open and available to us. While revelation generally comes to us in part, over time, we must be confident in accessing the revelatory realm now. It is important to re-emphasize that God’s perfect desire is to have absolute, unadulterated conversation with us.

Do not be mistaken when God seems hidden – He wants to speak to you. He wants to speak more than you want to be spoken to! He is not an absentee father who forgets your needs and inner desires. God does not want us fumbling in the darkness. His very goal of dying on the cross was to clear the communication lines between God and man, in order to restore the relationship with Him that Adam had in the garden. That is why on the cross every mystery and treasure was laid open and bare before us.

When Daniel interpreted the dream for the king of Babylon, the king said:

“Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery” (Dan. 2:47).

God is surely a Revealer of mysteries still today. This word revealer is translated as “galah” (gel-aw). It means to denude in a disgraceful sense. It implies sending one into exile, because exiles were usually stripped of everything by the overcoming army, down to their naked bodies.

God wants to literally strip away and nakedly expose every mystery of Heaven – every shroud that covers our eyes from seeing Him in all His glory. Already, God has violently torn open every secret. He has stripped the darkness and torn it open like a king set out to battle who strips his enemies bare. He does not want any mystery or riddle to separate us – He wants no roadblock to keep us from knowing Him.

The word “galah” means to uncover, shamelessly tell, plainly publish, reveal. Jesus’ heart is to reveal every mystery of God plainly to us and give us open access to all of Heaven. Is this not why God so exposed Himself, allowing us to strip Him naked and hang Him on the cross for the entire world to see? Every veil is torn. The mysteries of Christ are laid bare.

We do not yet understand the treasure we already hold in these jars of clay. We do not simply possess a heavenly inheritance. We are already seated in Heaven in the spirit realm. We do not just have Heaven’s keys – we are already on the throne with Christ (Eph. 2:6). Now that we have access to such a great heavenly deposit, we are growing up into the maturity of ownership. Like a royal child that matures, our allowance grows bigger and bigger. We begin to appropriate and unwrap the very gift that has belonged to us all the time.

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate (Gal. 4:1).

We are sons and daughters progressively growing up into authority as heirs to the Kingdom. Here is a paradox: God is completely accessible, yet He is completely inapproachable. Through the shed blood of Christ, every mystery is revealed and every veil is torn that once kept us at a distance from the Father. And yet, He is still the Lord of Glory, so holy that no man can see Him and live. Christ alone gives entrance to the higher realms of the Kingdom. But it is His grace that also prevents me from running ahead with more revelation than I can handle – until He increases and my own sinful nature decreases.

If the Lord holds us back at a distance for a season, it is only for our own good, until we are able to bear more of Him. Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the journey.

Progressive Revelation Part I

Understanding how the Lord speaks to us progressively enables us to better enjoy the prophetic journey and to ultimately engage a higher revelatory realm.

Revelation rarely comes on a silver platter. We often wait for lightning bolt experiences and divine encounters, while missing the still small voice of God that coaxes us gently from one realm of understanding to another. Developing an ear to hear is always a process. And even specific divine directives usually come piece-by-piece over a period of time.

Scripture tells us that from days of old the “schools of the prophets” were instituted as men were trained to hear the voice of the Lord. Samuel heard the Lord from childhood, but he would not have recognized the voice without Eli’s instruction. Mature prophets are not born in a day. God always births small, vulnerable babies, and a season of gradual growth, instruction and maturation must follow.

Why doesn’t God thunder?

We think life would be much easier if the Lord would just speak to us audibly. This seems like a simple solution to our confusion, as if it would guarantee us clear direction and solve the world’s problems. And surely the Lord would prefer this realm of clear communication. But history shows us that the clearest communication – even the audible voice of God – does not guarantee obedience. Consider the children of Israel, who heard God’s audible voice corporately:

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die” (Ex. 20:18-19).

Here, we see that an entire nation heard the voice of God, yet they withdrew from it and eventually turned to rebellion. Remember that the clearer God speaks to us, the more we are responsible to adhere to His command. This should not be a reason to withdraw from His voice; however, it is an expression of His grace that he only gives us what we are capable of living up to.

It is not God’s perfect will to keep us in darkness. He does not desire to hide from us or to keep Kingdom secrets shrouded from us. He wishes to give us the fullness of the Kingdom right now. The problem is we are not yet capable of handling all that Jesus longs to entrust to us.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now (John 16:12).

Issues of pride, fear and immaturity disqualify us from jumping headlong into the depths of divine revelation. And for these reasons, God reveals truth in layers, both for our own sake and for the sake of those to whom we minister. It is actually because of love that God is sometimes silent.

Concealing future destiny

Just because we do not understand everything God says does not mean He is being quiet. God does not just want to speak through our ears. He wants our entire lives and everything we experience to be a reflection of Him. God is always speaking to us in dreams, inner thoughts and through the circumstances of life. But we do not always perceive it. God has to cloak much of what He says for a number of reasons.

For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword (Job 33:14-18, emphasis mine).

Here, we see that God intentionally seals His instruction away from us, to protect us from pride and from perishing. Very often, this is a reason that we do not remember our dreams. God is instructing our spirits in the night season – directing our paths – but our conscious mind is kept unaware of it. Otherwise, we would try to accomplish God’s destiny for our lives on our own, in our own human strength. Or we might simply be overwhelmed by the monumental tasks to which He calls us, and we would withdraw in fear.

Have you ever had déjà vu? The “old school” deliverance ministries used to claim that déjà vu was demonic, simply because they did not understand it. But déjà vu is simply when you remember a dream or vision that God sealed away long ago, and now, suddenly His hand of guidance is being revealed over your life. Instead of calling it “déjà vu,” we should simply call it “remembering a vision.”

Although we only see the future in part, God sees it fully. And we can trust that He is guiding us step-by-step along the way.

Activating the future

While we are discussing future destiny, it is good to briefly address a common question: How do I discover the plans God has for my life? We have all asked this at some point, and it is one of the primary things God reveals to us progressively.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known (1 Cor. 13:12).

It is imperative that we have vision. We need to know our destiny, and we must hear clearly to speak into the lives of others. God will purposely keep these plans withdrawn for a season, so that we do not try to achieve them in our own understanding. There are many practical steps to discovering your destiny: dive into the scriptures, hear from other prophets, assess your current abilities, discover what God has already given you a desire to do, etc.

But it is one thing to know the plans God has for you. It is another thing to step into that destiny and begin to practically activate it. Perhaps the greatest key is this: Identity releases destiny.

As we learn to identify ourselves with the Lord – as His friend, as His brother, as His child, as His bride – it is only natural that we should become familiar with His voice. And then we begin to step into the role of that future person we are to become.

Ask yourself: What kind of character will I have when I am walking in my destiny? Where will I live? Who will I associate with? How will I spend my time? What disciplines will I practice regularly?

As we envision these things, we can gradually begin to step into the framework of our future, and somehow pull the future into the present.

The Emmaus journey

These general principles are true for attaining any type of revelation. As we identify with the character and nature of Christ, He is revealed to us more and more. But receiving revelation is not the ultimate goal for the believer. Intimacy and relationship with Jesus is the goal.

The mysteries and enigmas of God are given, for a large part, to engage us and draw us into a communion – an ongoing dialogue with the Creator. The beauty of mysteries and the hidden things of God entice us to understand their meaning. And in the process, we find that we have all along been walking along the Emmaus road, having fellowship with the hidden Christ.

Understanding revelation is always a journey. But likewise, there is always a breakthrough at the end of that journey. He does not keep us guessing forever. God begins to draw our hearts until they burn within. And at the end of this Emmaus Road, the bread is always broken, and our eyes are opened to the living Christ who is already seated with us at the table. We realize that every puzzle, every riddle, is from Him and through Him – and it all points to Him.

Honoring small beginnings

Since revelation is progressive, do not despise small beginnings. Even the most gifted prophets face unanswered questions and confounding mysteries. This is the way of the Kingdom. And it is better to be content for a season with the unanswered paradox, than to try and explain the unknown with pre-packaged, cliché answers.

People like to sound smart and appear to know what’s going on. God prefers honesty. One way to tell a false prophet (or at least an immature one) is that he has an answer to every question. Be comfortable with starting small, and God will increase your vision. It all starts with humility. Numbers 12:3 tells us that Moses was “more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” And this released him to hear the Lord more clearly than anyone else.

“When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord” (Num. 12:6-8).

In the passage above, we see about five different ways the Lord speaks, some of which vary in the degree of accuracy and intensity: dreams, visions, face-to-face clearly, riddles (parables) and the open seer realm. In fact, there are different types or degrees of prophetic gifting throughout scripture. For instance, there is the nabi prophet, which in Hebrew means “to bubble forth as from a fountain,” or simply “to utter.” This is the type of prophetic gifting we are most familiar with, when someone simply spouts out the thought that bursts forth from the heart. But then, there is also the ro’eh or hozeh prophet, which means the “seer.” For instance, Samuel was a seer, while Nathan was a nabi prophet. Seers are more visually oriented.

Develop the goose bump

All of these avenues of hearing and seeing require patience, practice and development. Many people get frustrated that they are not having open encounters with angels and third heaven visitations, but most prophetic people do not start off on this level. Remember, God always births spiritual babies, not mature eagles. If you are faithful with the little, more is added.

If you develop the small, inward visions the Lord gives you, before long, you will begin seeing those visions with your open eyes. If you are faithful with the simple nudging He gives you, He will trust you with more complexities. Patiently steward the little things God gives you, and He will bring steady increase.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings (Prov. 25:2).

In fact, when people complain to me that they never hear the voice of God, I ask them, “Have you ever felt a goose bump during a worship service?”

Most reply that they indeed have, and I tell them, “That’s a great place to start.”

Something as simple as a goose bump during a worship service can serve as an initial trigger. The next time you go to the grocery store, that same little goose bump may trigger when you are talking to the checkout clerk – then you know that God is trying to get your attention. Develop the goose bump faithfully, and one day, you will see angels.

The Patient Pursuit

The Lord once spoke to me very clearly while I was preparing for a sermon at Starbucks. I heard His audible voice call my name, “John.” But when I looked up, no one was there. Only a sign that read, “The secret ingredient to this exceptional blend? … Patience.”

Patience is a powerful ingredient to receiving anything from God. It is a vital fruit of the Spirit. It is also the key to progressive revelation.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Heb. 6:12).

Faith without patience is not really faith at all. If we really believe in the unseen realm, we will not be shaken by the lack of immediate results. Many people get frustrated when God does not zap them or speak to them at a church meeting, and they lack the patience and consistency to contend for his voice. We should consider the story of the famous healing revivalist John G. Lake. When Lake began to pursue the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he did not see immediate results. For nine months, he diligently sought the Lord with fervent prayers, until finally, one day the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he was immersed with the Lord’s presence.

What were the results of John G. Lake’s waiting and contending? The Lord rested on him so powerfully that more than 100,000 documented healings were recorded in his five years of ministry in Spokane, Wash. Even plague cells that were placed on his hand immediately died on contact, when viewed under a microscope, because the healing anointing rested so strongly on his physical body.
What if John G. Lake got frustrated and gave up because he didn’t fall over at his first charismatic conference? We must exercise patience. Daniel prayed for 21 days before the angel came to his assistance, although Daniel’s prayers were heard in heaven the first day he spoke them (Dan. 10:13). Or consider Joseph. The Lord revealed his destiny at an early age, but it took years and years of trial and testing before it came to pass. Does it feel like you are having a slower start in hearing the voice of the Lord? It may be because you have greater potential than most. Be faithful to exercise what you have and contend for more.

Even physical healing often requires patience. Miracles are instantaneous, but healings can take time. I once prayed for a cross-eyed baby, and there was not a noticeable result. But the next day, his father brought him back to our meetings with good news: one of the eyes came uncrossed overnight! The child had moved from having two crossed eyes to one crossed eye. That was an improvement, so we prayed for him again that the Lord would continue the work, and we sent him home. Often we consider “partial healings” to be incomplete, when in actuality, we should see them as works in process.

In the same way, we are always receiving revelation in process. We should press in for more understanding, without getting frustrated along the way. Let us contend for spiritual maturity, but not try to grow up too fast. True maturity waits for the Lord.

Prophetic Words & Directives for 2006

At the beginning of each year, we like to seek the Lord regarding corporate prophetic words for the body of Christ, as do a number of other ministries. We believe that by looking comprehensively at what the prophets are saying, the church can gain a better perspective of what the Lord is doing and how to better participate with him in the times ahead.

On this note, we would like to recommend a few other messages from respected ministries regarding 2006 in the links throughout this article. Some of their insights I have interwoven here, to give further perspective on what the Lord has been showing us.

Divine Alignment
Some have rightly pointed out the prophetic significance as the Jewish Feast of Lights (Hanukkah) coincided exactly with New Year’s Day 2006. On New Year’s, the eighth candle (representing new beginnings) was lit during this feast, which commemorates the cleansing and retaking of the temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees from the pagan Greek authorities, in the years prior to Christ’s birth. Rick Joyner has posted a more extensive explanation of this. However, we would like to accentuate the point that this is both a year of new beginnings and a year of purification for God’s people. Patricia King has released a timely word for the year, pointing out that the book of Malachi is for this hour. This is because the Lord is revealing Himself as the Refiner and Purifier. It is critical that we take this strategic opportunity to receive purification and deliverance while it is available. We will discuss this further below.

Year of 'natural' preparation
The most prominent word we have been receiving from the Lord is that 2006 will be a year of natural preparation. As the sixth year of the new millennium, we should remember that six is the number of man. This, of course, is different from the number 666, which represents an unholy trinity. Adam was created on the sixth day, and his humanity is symbolic of the “natural” man. For many, this will be a natural year. The Lord wants to plant our feet solidly on the earth, so that we will have a healthy foundation from which we can soar to the heights in the days to come.

For many, there will be a rooting in “normalcy” this year, in order that the Lord can afford to trust us with ascending supernatural heights. We want to be a supernatural people, but not a super-spiritual people that lose touch with the basics of life. Many feel over-extended in their ministry endeavors, and others are experiencing outright burnout. This is largely a result of not having the natural house in order. First the natural, then the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:46).

There is a measure of earthiness that is required to live a healthy life and conduct adequate service for the Lord. We are not talking about “worldliness” but “earthiness.” There is a big difference. Jesus had a human nature, but not a sinful nature. He was fully God, but He was also fully man. Many of us try to become spiritual, but we have not learned how to be a healthy human being first! I have heard it said that we often forsake the lower rungs of Jacob’s ladder. Before we can ascend the heavens, we must have balance within our natural lives. “Balance” is not a good word really, as it is often associated with watering down opposite extremes. But God likes extremes. He desires that we become extremely natural and extremely supernatural at the same time. Jesus was both, but He was not a “balanced” hybrid of the two.

On a practical level, this will entail setting homes in order, building budgets, strengthening family relationships and getting ordinary/mundane things accomplished. These things are necessary, in order to make a platform for coming release of divine power and “super” natural activity in 2007.

Cancellation of debts
This strengthening in the natural activities in life is going to be accompanied by a grace to get out of indebtedness. The Lord will be canceling, as well as helping believers to pay off their debts this year, especially as they work toward implementing better stewardship and organization.

Focus on families
The Lord is about to curb the divorce and abandonment rates of the church. For years, the percentage rates of divorce in the church pretty much resembled those of the world. But as the true church emerges from the false religious fronts of nominalism and apathy, we will begin to see her shining in purity and true love. We are truly at a turning point where these rates are about to bounce backward. This is a year to invest in family relationships.

Year for relationships
This is a strategic year for balancing and building relationships in general. The more time and effort we put into relationships this year, including selfless acts of kindness, the more the Lord will begin to move on our behalf supernaturally.

This is a year for selfless giving. Horizontal relationships need to be strengthened, even as we strengthen our relationship with the Lord. Too often, believers seem to be pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly, but meanwhile they are accumulating a poor reputation for integrity in interpersonal relationships. But as we learn to stop fending for ourselves like fearful orphans, and fend for the needs of others, the Father will begin to give us good gifts this year on an unprecedented level.

Person-to-person relationships have much to do with the “natural” focus of this year. Understand that “natural” does not entail an absence of the supernatural. The Lord will be awakening the ears of His servants morning by morning, and there will be an overwhelming abundance of revelation for the people of God this year. In fact, God wants to be involved in our natural, everyday affairs far more than we realize. God Himself is about to step into our grocery lists, our clothing selection for each day, our conversations at the drug store and just about everywhere we go. There is going to be a merger between our natural lives and our spiritual experience more than ever before, as Heaven and earth draw closer and closer together in these last days.

Many have also labored under pressure, because of the spiritual urgency of the hour. But this must be balanced with the fact that God remembers we are but dust (Ps. 103:14). The spiritual demands for the coming age are so intense, in fact, that they are beyond our natural limitations. This year, God will be setting us in order, so that we do not bear spiritual burdens in our natural strength, but learn how to properly release them to Him. Amid the calamity and storm of the last days, God wants a people of peace and repose who ride firmly in the eye of the storm.

Birthing in secret
In the coming year, the Lord will be issuing a “silent release” of ministries, business, leadership and promotions in the body, as He will be “birthing destinies in secret.” More specifically, He will be birthing ministries “in the Secret Place.”

We see in Revelation 12 that the dragon is waiting to destroy the child just as the woman is giving birth to him. In the same way, the enemy is seeking to take out those new expressions of Christ being birthed into the earth by the church at this time. But just as the child was taken up to God and protected, so will the Lord be drawing many up to Himself, just as their destinies are being birthed.

Moses and Jesus were both hidden at birth, to protect their lives and God-given destinies, both of which would impact all of mankind for the ages to come. In the same way, the Lord will be birthing and releasing this year, away from the spotlight. Before we know it, there will have been an assumption of power for many who have been held back in the body in prior years. This relates to ministry, business, government and other spheres of influence. For many, it will come unexpectedly, and for most, it will be the fruit of developing a secret relationship with the Lord.

We must understand that the Lord is looking for purity, faithfulness and preparedness, in order that He might hand over the keys of the Kingdom to trusted servants. In the same way, this will be a major year of preparation and restructuring. I would also recommend an article by Dutch Sheets on this coming, comprehensive restructuring. The church is headed for drastic shifts, and Dutch is right in emphasizing the severity of this restructuring. It is primarily part of the transition from the church age to the Kingdom age. He makes a valid point that if we pray more this year, we will have less work to do.

It is critical that we do not waste time this year, and that extra time be taken to prepare for the future. We should remember that preparation time is not wasted time. It is critical to trim our wicks and get oil in our lamps, so that we will be ready for the Lord when He moves.

Maturity of both light and darkness
As we are entering the new apostolic age, the gross darkness of the world is getting darker, even as the light of Christ is shining brighter on His people. Both good and evil are coming to their full maturity, together. The wheat and the tares have been growing up alongside one another, and never has the contrast been so extreme between the two.

This year, there will be an even clearer separation of the sheep from the goats. Hypocrisy is being shaken from the church. Everything that can be shaken is being shaken. The true church will be emerging brighter than ever before, as nominal church goers will be brought to the point of true decision, whether to go with the gospel or to reject it.

America still being chastened
Earlier in 2005, prior to the hurricanes that struck the south, the Lord showed us bodies stacked up like cordwood from at least 12 cities in the U.S., primarily smaller communities that felt safe and far removed from potential danger. While this was partially related to the coming storms (honestly, we did not realize it at the time), we had the impression that the Midwest/breadbasket area and East Coast would also be involved as target areas – and this has yet to come to pass. We do not enjoy sharing hard words of this nature, and I want to clearly indicate that God’s heart is for intimacy and restoration. His judgments are only levied in order to remove every hindrance to love. Nevertheless, this is serious business.

With this being said, I should relate that the Lord is still “disciplining America like a Father disciplines a son.” This is not a call to panic, but it is a call to intercession. It is common knowledge that we have the blood of millions of unborn children on our hands. America has also spewed immorality and worldly values across the globe through its media. And despite America’s foreign aid and humanitarian efforts, its economic policies have equally ravaged and oppressed the third world throughout the years.

The Lord loves America, and still has plans to bless her. He still honors our godly heritage, the prayers of the church and our support for Israel. Nevertheless, there is still potential for more natural disasters and terrorist activity. This can be delayed, if not prevented through strategic intercession, but this is a critical time for repentance on a national scale. And the hour is at hand when the people of God will need to pay attention to the prophetic arm of the church like never before.

Healing anointing to increase
In many ways, it may seem like another refining year for the Western church. But the Lord will be preparing us in 2006 for a greater release of the supernatural in 2007.

The healing anointing will continue to increase corporately over the next three years, and if we handle it properly, the Lord can entrust us with a whole new level of the miraculous never before witnessed by the modern church. What we are currently seeing, in terms of the healing anointing, has been “done before” in previous revivals. But right now, we are in a jubilee period of restoration of the Voice of Healing revival that tapered off 50 years ago. If we handle this healing deposit properly – better than they did – then we will be entrusted with an even higher level of supernatural power than they walked in.

This will require greater personal integrity. And the church is being called now to come out of an entertainment-based model and into corporate mobilization. This means there must be willingness for the body to activate and exercise healing prayer in the marketplace. We must also cease to elevate individual ministers who operate in the supernatural and instead, intercede for them. This will be key to seeing these wells of old open further and broader than ever before. Otherwise, we risk another decade or more of setbacks, as well as the potential fall of more prominent ministries.

Release of harvest angels
This is going to be a year of answered prayers – things we have contended for and seeds we have sown over the past 10 or 20 years are going to come to fruition. This is specifically related to a harvest of souls, facilitated by the angelic hosts. Many have noticed an increase in angelic activity in their lives in the past several months, but were unsure of the reason. The reason is this: the harvest!!

I was recently with my 1-year-old when she simply said, “Angel.”
Then my 8-year-old further elaborated, saying, “There’s an angel in the corner.”
After that, my 4-year-old came in with the best part, “There’s five angels and five angels and 10 angels and one angel and two angels.”

Most parents would write off such talk as babble from a child who cannot yet count, but the Lord quickened something to me regarding the number of angels he described:
5-5-10-1-2

Then the Lord led to me Isaiah 55:10-12:

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

There is a return coming on seeds sown long ago, and there will be a rejoicing that accompanies the harvest. Lost loved ones you have been praying about for years are about to come into the kingdom. This is a year of returning prodigals. Families are about to come into the kingdom en masse. This is a year of families. God wants us to focus on families more and more, even as the world will show greater disparity. Prophetic words released over the souls of the unsaved are about to see their fulfillment. Overall, this is a year of the Lord’s divine mandates coming to completion and being returned to him.

Worship and warfare
One of the most important issues at hand is a call to strategic spiritual warfare this year, and those who heed it will receive breakthrough. The enemy is launching specific attacks against the prophetic movement this year. For some, this will be intimidating. For others, the challenge will be viewed as an opportunity for significant advancement. The enemy is about to use some of his best intimidation tactics, so it is important not to get defensive, but remain on the offense.

More precisely, the enemy is now in a state of panic, launching an assault against the merger of the prophet and the evangelist. He seeks to cut off the emerging movement of prophetic evangelism that is paving the way for apostolic reformation. Much of this attack will be on the grounds of personal integrity and holiness issues.

However, what the enemy intends for evil, the Lord plans to use for good. He is far above the coming onslaught, and He is not wringing His hands with fear. Old forms of ministry are sinking like the Titanic, and several months ago, the Lord showed us an angel called “Sovereignty” which actually ministers the sovereignty of the Lord! The Lord intends to use this season of warfare to purify us, deconstruct old wineskins and bring us to the next level.

The restoration of the prophetic office is still relatively new, and the Lord is intent on keeping it refined and purified. As the movement continues to gain acceptability in the church over the next several years, those who operate in deception and immature prophetic giftings run the risk of gaining too much influence. In this sense, the Refiner and Purifier of the book of Malachi is emerging. Although this may seem like a harsh word, the Lord gave me Isaiah 28, which speaks of the Lord’s priests and prophets becoming drunk on the things of the world. It is critical that the church continues to contend for a pure prophetic word, without settling for our current degree of “types and shadows” revelation.

Obviously, there is a grace for growing and developing in our gifting, and I am not talking about “prophets in training” here. What the Lord is cracking down on is personal integrity issues. Nevertheless, there is also a grace from the Lord to develop a “passion for purity” this year, and for those who return to the Secret Place of the Most High, there will be an increase of favor.

This coming attack will take a number of forms, but our strategy for combat is sweet and simple. In a dream I was given Psalm 95:2-4. We must remember that worship is our primary tactic for successful warfare. The Psalmist writes:

Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

Worship warfare is going to bring us to victory this year, and the assaults of the enemy will serve to draw us closer together. Above all, we should contend as our primary goal to draw closer than ever to the Lord’s heart this year. His love is our compass and our guide in the days to come.

Overall, 2007 will be such an intense “spiritual” year, that we need all of 2006 to prepare for it. First the natural, then the spiritual. For those who are faithful in getting their natural houses in order this year, the Lord will entrust reservoirs of spiritual blessing and higher heights in the following year.