The Bible says to everything there is a season. Every relationship you have is affecting your future in some way. In this message you can learn the signs of a season change. Learn to discern your season and what you need to do to be prepared for the next season that God has for you!
Category Archives: Encouragement
Spiritual Fission
I read a powerful book called Critical Mass by Mario Murrillo. In the book, he likens revival to a nuclear reaction. He writes about how God will bring a core of people together who are hungry for a move of God. They want to see Him move with their whole heart, and they begin to fervently pray. As they begin to pray, other people join them who have a similar heart.
In nuclear fission, when there is enough radioactive material fused together scientists can shoot a neutron beam into that mass to start a reaction. The beam causes those molecules to move. Eventually, this movement is going to release the power of the atom, but first critical mass must be attained. Critical mass means that you have enough nuclear material to sustain a nuclear reaction. Just like it takes atoms coming together to create a critical mass, God has been, over the past few years, causing people who have a heart for revival to be attracted to places where there is a hunger for a full-blown move of God.
When the scientists keep shooting that neutron beam into the radioactive material, and just before the nuclear reaction begin to take place, something peculiar begins to develop. Where once there was activity and expansion, all of a sudden it looks like all activity ceases and that nucleus does not expand, it actually contracts.
This is where many of the revivals that have ever hit the earth die. There have been tremendous moves of the Spirit of God; wave after wave of His glory but people failed to press the battle when they “felt” a waning in the Spirit. God intended for people to contend for revival in consistent prayer. Instead, most become discouraged and give into their feelings. He had intended revival to explode and touch an entire region or nation. If our revival stays in the reactor and never reaches the streets of the city, we have fallen short. So many revivals stop right there. Why? People are discouraged. They are worn out. They have been going to evening prayer services and early morning prayer meetings. It seems like everything they have worked for is slipping away. It seems like things may be slowing down instead of speeding up and people begin to be moved by what they see rather than the prayers that have already been invested.
It is at this point that the believer, and the scientist, have to make a decision. The scientist must decide that regardless of what may seem to be going on, they are not only going to keep that neutron beam firing, but they are going to keep pumping more and more into it until they actually have a nuclear reaction. Likewise, the believer must press the battle until the move of God comes and touches our nation. Press until it touches the world! We need to keep the beam focused until we have a nuclear reaction that sends revival out in every direction.
That is where the church is today. I will tell you, something begins to happen when this stage is reached. Murrillo calls it the “dark night of the soul.” Maybe it seems like everything you have worked for has stopped moving; you feel as if everything you have been praying for is at a standstill. But we already know what to do, KEEP PRESSING THE BATTLE!
The Old Corn
After escaping from bondage, the children of Israel went through the wilderness, but they did not do it quickly. When you read the story you find out that they were their own biggest enemy in the wilderness. Eventually, they made it to the Promised Land but not without hardships. Joshua 5:10 says,
“And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” (emphasis added)
The Israelites were at the end of the manna, and at the beginning of the land flowing with milk and honey. They were about to experience the place described in Numbers 13 where the grape clusters were so big, that it took two men to carry them. But, the children of Israel were used to the manna. They had grown accustomed to a mentality of “just getting by” living in the desert. Before them was an opportunity that would yield them an abundant glorious life. Yet, it was only attainable if they would possess the land and drive the enemy out. I am sure that they had questions and probably some doubts. Standing there looking across that river, the children of Israel were seeing into the land that God had promised them; the land of more than enough.
You must understand, many are somewhere “along the journey,” just like the children of Israel. Many of us are seeing the close of one chapter in our lives and the opening of another. I believe a lot of us are in a similar place as Joshua was with the children of Israel. We too have had tremendous victories in the past. We have overcome unimaginable obstacles and we have experienced powerful miracles.
We must understand that every time God wants to move a church body into a higher corporate anointing, there is a choice. Every time God wants to move you, as an individual onto a higher plane, you are looking across a river, like the children of Israel were. Are you satisfied with the old ways, or are you willing to take the challenge of a new day? Are you willing to take the challenge of change?
Praying Into Your Future
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One thing you can count on is that there is a always a next to prepare for. Your season will change. You won’t always have the job that you have now or the current position that you occupy at your company. We shouldn’t be shocked when seasons end, but we usually are.
Most of us are not as tuned into our hearts as we should be. We had a nagging sense or just felt that something was up – but we didn’t pay that much attention to it. Then we are surprised by what we were being alerted to or warned about. Pay attention!
The Scripture Promises that the Holy Spirit will Forewarn Us:
John 16:13 KJV Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
The Holy Spirit is communicating to us all the time. All too often, we are just not paying that much attention. It is time to start paying closer attention to what He is telling us about our next season.
The Holy Spirit is our Connection to Accurate Prayer about our Future:
Romans 8:26-27 NASB In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (27) and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
The Holy Spirit searches the depths of God’s heart about our future. Our weakness is that we do not know what to pray concerning the next season of our life due to our lack of ability to see into the future. We don’t even comprehend why certain people have connected with us or why some door has closed. Our knowledge is based solely on what we can see or by what our reasoning can deduce. All this is very limited. He, on the other hand is infinite. He has infinite knowledge and sees our future as clearly as our past. Our success would be insured if we could pray from the vantage point of His knowledge rather than just our own. Enter the Holy Spirit!
You Can Pray into Your Future by Praying with the Spirit:
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 NASB (14) For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. (15) What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.
Tucked away in this passage is a clue. When I pray in a tongue, although my mind is unfruitful (does not understand) my spirit is fruitful. The outcome is that I should pray with the spirit and the understanding. How is my understanding going to become fruitful? The answer is in the verse just preceding:
1 Corinthians 14:13 NASB (13) Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
Pray that You May Interpret:
If a person who speaks in tongues can pray for natural understanding or interpretation then a person who prays in tongues can do the same. Our minds become fruitful or productive when they receive insight and revelation from the Spirit. The order of prayer in 1 Corinthians 15 is significant. “I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also.” Prayer in the spirit then begins to order the prayers being made with the understanding.
When we don’t understand why things that were comfortable in the past are no longer even tolerable, it may be a sign that change is upon us. We can pray into that season shift if we choose to. We can be prepared ahead of time if we take time to pray in the Spirit. Pray with the spirit and with the mind also. Then, you will be singing as your season shifts and not crying about it.
An Observation about Relationships
Having been relocated recently, I have come to a realization about relationships, especially long term friendships. You can’t replicate in a year or two, what took 20 or 30 years to build. It takes shared history to really know someone. You have to have been together in a multitude of situations.
I have also come to realize that there are people who are now in their twenties that Lisa and I have 20 plus years of history with! (Those of you who fit that category, we are truly grateful that God placed you in our path! We want to be of service to you in any way we can. We pray for you on a regular basis.)
When Lisa and I married we were friends with a small group of couples. Those people are still some of our closest friends. The realization that came to me is that we have almost as much history with their children as we have with the parents. We even know their children’s children. Wow!
We are purposed to sow into these groups of relationships as best we can for the rest of our lives and ministry. Lisa and I have been so blessed to serve, not only our generation, but multiple generations through Youth and Young Adult ministry. We want to continue to be a voice for these generations as best we can. We fully understand that many of you have also been moved to other churches. We applaud your faithfulness to the Lord.
So, to those of you who have come to these same realizations, I ask that you come on this journey with us to stay connected and to continue to share community and ministry to one another by every means possible. You are not alone! Even though many of the people around us may not fully know us, we can still draw from the relationships that we have known so well.
Distance cannot deter friendships unless we let it.
Trust to the End
So where does that leave us and how do we go forward? I started this book with the story of my stepfather’s involvement in the invasion of France. That story was perhaps the most dramatic of his lifetime; but he was not a person immune to pressing the battle. After the war, he won and lost fortunes, owned businesses, invested in real estate, fought a battle with cancer (which he won), and served his church. The years that I spent with him were influential in my own walk with the Lord; his nature was one of forgiveness and endurance. He also taught me the trade of bricklaying which was something he worked in up until his death of natural causes. It was in that business that I learned from him the most valuable lesson about pressing the battle: Trusting in God.
We had a small construction company, with just enough equipment that it all fit in the back of a pickup. I remember one big job that we received; we were going to lay the brick of a 5 story church. This particular size of a job requires the use of a mixer, scaffolding, and a large crew; we had none of these things! It was a family business and we never had more than 4 or 5 people working in the company. To my stepfather though, this never mattered. He had developed a trust that God would provide what we needed. We stood on Philippians 4:19,
“But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
We started out with just that pickup truck loaded with our equipment and our small crew, but you know what? As we continued to believe God, the money for scaffolding, a mixer, and manpower came in and we were able to finish that job; even when a storm destroyed the work, forcing us to start over, We got it done, praise God! God showed Himself strong as we stayed faithful to his promises. Time and time again these acts of faithfulness manifested in my stepfather’s business and life and he expected them to happen.
This is what I want to leave ingrained in your spirit: Trust in the promises of the Father. Do not look at the circumstances around you and say, “My situation is terrible and I will be overcome.” No! Instead, you must live with a childlike trust that God has already promised you everything you need according to His riches and glory! It says in Ephesians 1:3,
“Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ;”
This is our Father in heaven. He has already given us these spiritual promises! As we walk them out, believing in His ability to manifest them, we can trust that He will give us all these things, because He is a real father. A real father will keep his promise. It says in Romans 8:32,
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
Remember that no matter the circumstance, no matter the failures or shortcomings you face, there is a God who has your success in mind. The success of His kingdom on this earth is connected to your success and He will provide for you. Whenever you press the battle trust in Him! Be like a child and depend upon Him!
As we press our battles in the kingdom, as we continue to advance and take ground, do not forget He gives us the victory because He has already won! We may have to fight here on this earth to advance the kingdom, we may have to push back into the enemy’s territory, we may have to resist the counter-attacks, but bless God, we already have seen the back of the Book and it says we win!
With this as our assurance I tell you that it is our time Church! It is our time child of God! Let us use our weapons mightily against our adversary. Like never before, Let us press forward with our banner lifted high in agreement with Romans 8:31,
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
PRESS THE BATTLE!
Cover Me I’m Going In
When soldiers is in the battlefield want to advance on an enemy’s position they call for covering fire. They are able to advance as a unit by firing their weapons to suppress the enemy. This causes the opposing forces to take cover momentarily, allowing for fellow soldiers to move to a more advantageous position. If we are going to affect a city, we need more intercessor prayer “covering fire.” We need to increase the “prayer covering” over our families, churches, and leaders more than ever before. We cannot afford to back off of this vital mission.
One of the by-products of prayer will be a keener sense of discernment. Discernment will keep us ahead of the opposition. This kind of discernment will be imperative for the end time harvest. We cannot afford to do what we think is best. There is abundant grace available to us, but I am concerned for the people who seem to think that whatever they want to do is right. We do not have time for works of the flesh! Jesus is coming soon! We need to know exactly what He wants to see accomplished. If you are going to do anything for Him, you need to take up the sword of the Word of God right now! Put your hand to the plow right now and do not look back!
James 5:16 tells us that the prayer that produces the results we need is fervent prayer:
“… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Fervent prayer is made by someone who, like Abraham, was fully persuaded with nothing wavering! This type of prayer expects for a favorable result. Romans 4:20-21 says,
“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Praise God! We have this example from the father of our faith. We can be certain that if we press the battle with our faith, we have the assurance that God will carry out His promises. In James 1:5-6 we read,
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.”
Move out in to prayer and praise. Pray when you feel like it and when you do not. Praise when you feel like it and when you do not. Above all else remember to never let up on the devil. Keep pressing the battle. When you do you are laying down cover fire for those who are going in to enemy territory. We must be vigilant because at any time someone around us could shout, “Cover me, I am going in!”
Full Court Press
When the devil sees aggressive faith he responds by fleeing. Jesus told us about this type of faith in operation in Matthew 11:12,
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
This is a precedent! There is an aggressive attitude that is required to receive the things of God! It is this kind of attitude that fosters persistent pursuit in the Christian walk. We purpose to take ground. We go after the things of God by a persistent “take-it-by-force” attitude!
Let us say you are the coach of a basketball team with one minute left in the final quarter. You are ahead by 2 points and the opposing team just gained possession of the ball and is at their end of the court, out of bounds, with the ball ready to come into play. Win this game, and you take home the championship trophy. You have a choice. You can station your players to wait at your end of the court, near your goal, and try to defend yourselves against the other team’s attempt to score, or you can call for a full court press.
In a full court press, you have your players ready where the other team is about to put the ball into play. You are “in their face,” aggressively resisting their attempt to enter your court. This is a high risk move, if the other team can get a step ahead of you, but it is the way to make them fight and earn their way down the court. You also run a good chance of getting a turnover and scoring on them! That is what we have to do in our lives as believers. Go for the full court press on the enemy. He can’t get a step ahead of you, unless you let him. So, if we are standing on our Father’s promises we do not have to wait for the enemy to come onto our turf to defend ourselves, we press the battle against him!
Let us go back to the children of Israel. They had something to decide when they stood facing Canaan land. They must have been asking themselves, “Do we have the courage to take the land?” We, as believers, must ask ourselves the same question. Do we have what it takes to move into our destiny? Can we take possession of what God has promised us? Joshua 5:12 says,
“…and the manna ceased on the morrow…”
“But Mark, I love the old corn. I grind it up and make cornbread, and I love that manna. Oh, it is so wonderful. I do not want to give up the manna and I know if I cross the river, the manna will cease.” I have some shocking news for you. If you do not cross the river, the manna will cease! Did you ever notice this in the Word? The manna, the provision of God stopped coming to the children of Israel when they entered the Promise Land. The only way for them to get more food was to seize the land. It is obedience to God that takes you into higher levels in God. Not pressing on means that you lose by default! If you fail to press the battle, you cannot maintain your position. The stakes are winner-takes-all.
We can press the battle against the enemy in the field of prayer by adopting a strategy of advancing on the enemy and not waiting for him to strike. In natural warfare it is what is known as a, ‘preemptive strike.’ Too many times in the body of Christ we wait for the enemy to do something and then we respond to it. He hits your body with symptoms and you begin to pray for healing. He attacks your finances and you begin to confess scriptures on prosperity. I call this type of response to resistance, “reactionary prayer.” Why wait for him to act? He’s not your leader nor your Lord! Why not take the battle to him? Take a look at John 16:13,
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
The time to confess scriptures on health is when you are well. The time to tank up on prosperity scriptures is when you have enough in the bank. Do not wait, act now! Do not be a lazy Christian. Keep pressure on the devil. Every morning wake up and praise the Lord. Take your spiritual baseball bat and smack the enemy right in the head!
In the Spirit, we can move into the realm of prophetic prayers and hit the enemy before he strikes us. Look at Isaiah 45:11,
“Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.”
The Spirit will show us things that are about to happen. He wants us to be prepared! We have our own Holy Ghost intelligence agency giving us top secret information about the enemy’s movements. We can press the battle on the enemy before he moves, but we must listen to Him! Keep your inner ear, your spiritual ear, open to listening to His voice and be ready to follow through with what He tells you to do.
The Combat of Prayer
It is because of resistance that many believers do not have an active prayer life and do not go after the mission God has for them. I do not know what I expected before I developed a prayer walk. I think I expected angels to be singing in the morning around my bed and Michael the Archangel to come and gently take the sheet, pull it gracefully back and softly speak, “Come, thou servant of the Most High God. The presence of the Lord awaits you in the living room.” Do you suppose that anyone has ever experienced that? I doubt it! You must enter the throne room like every other believer. What way is that? You must stir up a desire within you. Luke 18:1-6 says,
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.”
There was a unique way that the widow approached the judge caused fear to rise up in him. He said, “lest by her continual coming…” In this particular passage it says that she came continually. She had an aggressive attitude. She was willing to press the battle. When the greatest challenge in your life is deciding between a black or brown leather Bible, how do you suppose you are going to face the enemy in mortal combat? How are you going to face the enemy in taking a city or a nation for God and not fold under the pressure?
Persistent Pursuit
As I have said earlier, if you are a believer who is ready for battle, then you love a good fight. You are ready to send the devil scurrying one more time. You are going to cause the light of God’s Word to shine into the darkness. You are going to lift the Name of Jesus—at which every demon trembles—and you are going to stand in the authority of the believer. You are not going to allow the devil to have your prayer life, your ministry, or your family. You are going to say, “Devil, no! I am going to press the battle!”
It says in James 4:7,
”…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
The devil is a coward! He is defeated! The Bible says in Colossians 2 that Jesus has taken the devil’s weapons, brought them to naught, and destroyed them! So when we press the battle against him, he goes on the retreat.
Speak this out by faith: “I will not be passive concerning my pursuit of God; instead I will be passionate. I will be persistent and I will pursue. Even when I encounter resistance I will not stop in my pursuit of the things of God.”