One of my favorite things to do every month is something that feeds my spirit. Several years ago my family and I started going to a “prophetic mentoring” meeting where we and whomever else wants to come are…well, mentored in the prophetic. I need to back up a bit here.
Many years ago, I was doing a bible study when I ran across this verse: John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” I thought about this. I believed I was His “sheep”. I had given my life to the Lord years before and gone to church all my life, but I did not know his voice! This scared me!
I began the journey I am on now. The journey of listening, of learning how to hear His voice.
Back to our prophetic mentoring. During this “class” (for lack of a better word) I have learned more about hearing God than in any other place.
This month was especially good as the leader of the group just got back from a mission’s trip to India. I feel like I am to share much of what he said about that and about the coming year that we’ve just begun – 2011. The following are taken from my notes. They may seem a bit choppy, but wade through. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you read, that your spirit will be strengthened and encouraged, spurred on, by the words.
You must be a person of prayer or you’ll fall. Develop your prayer life more than you ever have. You can no longer afford not to. When He exalts you, go lower. Be on your face more! Look for God – not fame.
When God speaks. Believe it. Go for it. In India when the Lord speaks to them, they believe it the first time, not after many confirmations that the Lord really said it. They go and do whatever it is the Lord told them!
Don’t be western anymore. Change your mindset. The western mindset is too intellectual. Too material. The next two years will be intense years. If you become a person of prayer, it won’t be intense anymore.
Do you crave Him with everything in you? Crave Him so much that your bones cry out!
A new wind is about to blow. (See Acts 2:2)
Apostolic government is about to be released. Not where people call themselves “apostles”.
Acts 5:1-10
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
There has been too much playing with God. GOD is going to get His church in order. There will be judgment – not from people, from Him. God wants us to be a Holy, humble people of faith.
Acts 5:11-16
11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
Pray and obey. God will bring discipline. If you say, “I like comfort,” and are unwilling to move to do what he wants you to do, He has to come and put something in your life to get you out of your comfort.
Everything has to be done by the word of God and prayer.
Teach even the children to sit before the Lord. (And if you do not know how to…learn!)
Realize you have died and your life is hidden in Christ. We are moving into a new decade. Perhaps the last as we know it.
Matthew 24:37-39
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
People must see before it is too late. Things were happening in the days before the flood of Noah’s time when God flooded all the earth. There was a hundred year time when Noah was building the ark. This huge boat was being built before their eyes on dry land – no water nearby. Then when it was built, animals from all over the earth came to the ship and began to enter it. The people had the opportunity to hear, to see what was going on, to change their ways. They didn’t see it. Only 8 people were saved from the flood. Things are happening in the world now. We must wake up from our apathy and see!
God is calling us to a brand new place. There will be a division this year. The ones who are His will be LOW. This is what is meant by that:
Psalm 138:6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.
Proverbs 16:19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
Proverbs 29:23 Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.
Matthew 18:4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Walking with God costs you everything. Count the cost.
As I was looking up the following story for verification, I came upon a fantastic article cataloging great revivals from Bible times to the present.
There was a man who listened for God’s voice. God would tell him, “Go sit in an airport.” He would for a day, two, however long it took for the next direction to come. At times money was given to him to travel and speak a word from the Lord…just enough to get wherever he was supposed to go, one way. Then he would be given money for a return ticket. We must become so sensitive to His voice that whatever He says to do, we do.
One of the greatest moves of God is to come. It will never end. Only those who HEAR will experience it.
We must be clean, repentant, forgiving.
Lord, forgive me of my ignorance.
Forgive me of my arrogance.
Forgive me of my pride.
You can’t afford to carry unforgiveness in your heart. You’ve got 6 months to get it straight or God’s gonna put his finger on it. There is too much unforgiveness in the body of Christ right now.
Oh, Father, we must be able to hear your voice clearly. Help us, oh God! Open our ears. Remove any veils we have that keep us from hearing, from listening. Give us discernment to know what you are saying and how you are saying it to us. I love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name I ask these things. Amen.
More to say later on how to hear. It is critical that we develop our hearing.
