Happy New Year! We are more excited than ever about the future and we pray you will be too after reading the attached prophetic insights God encouraged our hearts with for 2014.
2014: The Year of the Catapult
KEY WORDS:
Restoration, Renaissance, Reformation, Rebirth, Revival, Revelation, Religion
KEY NUMBERS:
70; 444; 44; 67; 111
KEY COLORS AND MOUNTAINS:
Blue, Indigo, Religion, Education
KEY SCRIPTURES:
Psalm 44, Isaiah 44, Psalm 67, Psalm 111
KEY DESTROYERS OF YOUR PERSONAL CATAPULT:
Unforgiveness, Devouring words, Insincerity
CATAPULT:
(noun)"a device in which accumulated tension is suddenly released to hurl an object some distance, in particular."
(verb) "to move or spring up suddenly, quickly or forcibly, as if by means of a catapult"
2013 IN REVIEW
Before I further delve into the exciting year that is upon us, I want to look back into the year that just transpired. Every year that comes is still an extension of a previous year and provides the platform for what is to come. The age we are in began Rosh Hashanah of 2012, and is the Age of Restoration of all things. This comes from Acts 3:21, which explains to us that Jesus is in fact "held in the heavens" until certain minimal millenium-sounding societal reformations take place. From Rosh Hashanah 2012 forward, all yearly events fall under the heavenly objectives for this Age of Restoration. These objectives for the Age of Restoration entail seeing more of heaven on earth. While Protestants and Catholics alike quote and memorize, "The Lords Prayer" ofMatthew 6, those that are actually attempting to contend for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven are considered by many to be "heretics". A great invitation is extended to us this age to be "heaven on earth heretics."
Renaissance
My initial word for 2013, spoke into an additional aspect of this new Age of Restoration- that it was all part of an Era of Renaissance. Renaissance means, "rebirth or revival of culture and learning." I was shown that this was about an explosion in the knowledge of God, where we would begin to know His actual ways and not just His salvation. My friend, Bob Hartley, had a dramatic encounter with an angel where he was told that we were presently at 1% level of the knowledge of God of which is available on this side of eternity. Because we have so far to grow, I believe it will take at least two generations of catapulted knowledge of God just to get past the 50% level of availability. Remember it all ends with the whole earth being filled with the knowledge of God. It will be much, much more astounding than any one of us can even imagine. This year we will begin to leap forward into a new awareness of Him and it will be transformational. Get ready for disruptive revelation, disruptive glory, and disruptive technology. Substitute the word "game-changing" for the word "disruptive" and it will give you an expanded idea of what is coming.
Rosh Hashanah 2013
In September of 2013 I was shown that great angels from the mountain of religion were being strategically sent to break up "mafias" and strongholds that were keeping seekers of God from being able to see Him. These angels were bringing instruction and assistance to enable us to transition to the new wineskin associated with this new Age of Restoration. The new wine skin is marked by an understanding that the knowledge of God's better ways must now infuse the structures of cities and nations. The kingdom of God comes to individuals, but it also comes to structures. Heaven is not just made up of "happy people," but represents "happy structures" as well. We have much to learn here on thisaspect of heaven that flows from an expanded perspective of who He is. This is the area of greatest future growth in the knowledge of God. His ways are always connected to who He is.
2014: CATAPULT
This year will see the springing forward of so many into the release from their "accumulated tension." Catapulting involves the sling shot effect of a great pulling back followed by a dramatic release. Preparing for catapulting often involves what appears to be going nowhere or even backwards for an excruciating length of time with an end result of great forward propulsion. When in His hands, the further you have been pulled back, the greater His desire to catapult you. Often in the pull-back, God is also going after important character matters as He desires you to be able to remain and occupy the place He is catapulting you to.
Hebraic Calendar 5774: AYIN DALET
As you know the Hebrew calendar operates to a different pattern both in years and in months. This new year began with Rosh Hashanah 2013 and goes until Rosh Hashanah 2014. In the Hebrew Metonic Cycle this is a leap year which definitely goes with the catapult theme.
The word AYIN is for the 70 in the number and the word DALET corresponds to the 4. The word AYIN means "eyes" or "to see" and we are in the 4th year of a 10 year focus on learning to see things correctly. When we look at any person or situation based on first 'gut' observation alone we will in fact wrongly discern and thus wrongly respond. The giant in a land will always be more obvious than the amazing fruit also available. In these years we must learn "to see"- as the inheritance we actual experience will be limited to that. "Seeing" is about learning what to look for. You will always find what you are looking for. If you value finding the negative, it will always be there and your agreement with it will always further empower it. Surveys show that Christians have the most negative perspectives of society and the immediate future. This is a major "seeing" defect that must be corrected.
DALET, is the number 4 in the Hebrew calendar. In modern Hebrew the word for door is DELET, and this is a key meaning of this word. Additionally the writing of it is depicted like a tent opening or flap. As we put together the 70 and the 4 of this AYIN DALET year, we see that a door is open so that we can be catapulted into the regions of inheritance we have been learning to see. We have been "in a tent" and that speaks both into the fact that it has indeed been "in tents/intense" and that our catapulting is meant to come from a foundation of intimacy with God.
70 and Jerusalem's Historic Snowstorm
We are just a few weeks removed from Jerusalem experiencing an amazing snow storm that left more than 3 feet of snow in some places, as it ground Jerusalem to a halt forcing emergency cancelations of religious ordinances. It was described as the most snow in Jerusalem "in 70 years." It was the same system that dropped more snow on Egypt than, possibly, they have ever had. While Jerusalem was overwhelmed and shut down, Egypt seemed to celebrate the historical snowfall.
The Holy Spirit began to immediately speak to me regarding the connection with a 70 year time period being over, and a new one beginning. Metaphorically, Egypt represents society and "the nations." We can understand that better as we connect to the story of Joseph; his advance out of the sheep shed and his ascent into maximum influence in Egypt. Jerusalem metaphorically speaks of "religion." The same outpouring of heaven that shut down "Jerusalem" and its religious norms is the same one that caused wonder and celebration in "Egypt". This speaks into the aforementioned assignment that angels have: to shut down religious 'mafias' that don't allow people to see the very God they are looking for.
Additionally the number 70 has the connection to the AYIN number in the Hebraic calendar, as well as Biblical references of importance for us to glean from. Abram was born when his father Terah was 70 years old. The man of faith who is a friend of God comes after a 70 year period and I believe we will see many such spiritual giants begin to manifest. Jeremiah 29:10 speaks of a 70 year period being over, where the Lord can now fulfill His "good word toward you". That followed by the famous verse 11, "For Iknow the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
The end of a 70 year period is always a good thing in Biblical terminology, and so it is today. This lead to another aspect of the 70 year period...
BACK TO 1944 IN ORDER TO SEE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 2014
I was led by the Holy Spirit to look back at 1944 to see the significance of a 70 year period. 1944 began with DNA being discovered by Oswald T. Avery on January 1st. June 6, the Allies initiated the Normandy invasion "D-Day", that in effect was a big sign that Hitler would lose. By September allies were on German soil. In 1944 the CIA was formed and essentially so was the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank. 1944 was the year the United Nations was first proposed in a meeting between the USA, the USSR, and Britain. It was also the year that the first automatic digital computer was made by a Harvard scientist. Additionally,1944 is the year recognized as the end of the Great Depression. As we look at these events we realize that these were all monumental happenings that all brought world changes that exist to this day. I am not saying all of these events were positive, but they were all history affecting. The catapulting of 2014 takes us into a similar seam of history where looking back we will one day note what a ground breaking year it was. This takes us to Psalm 44 and then Isaiah 44.
PSALMS 44: A SONG OF DELIVERANCE
"We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them you planted; you afflicted the people and cast them out.For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own sword save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of your countenance, because you favored them. You are my King, Oh God; Command victories for Jacob. Through you we will push down our enemies, through your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But you have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long."
These verses are, in essence, the chorus of a victory song in a chapter that otherwise sighs for help. In verses 23 and 24 the request is made of the Lord, "Awake! Why do you sleep O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?"
These are words to guide and encourage us as we advance into the cultural mountains of society. The focus is on the Lord's sovereign ability to perform the impossible mission. He drives out the "nations" which are representative of those that are wrongfully occupying the mountains of society and then it is He that "plants" His people in their assigned inheritance. Verse 3 confirms that it is His favor that is more powerful, even over having a bow or sword to trust in. His favor needs to be our greatest testimony as to why we are being catapulted.
444: COMMANDED VICTORIES Psalm 44:4
Most people who know me well are aware that 444 is a number sequence that the Lord uses in my life to signify His fingerprint on something I need to know He is involved in. I know this is true for others as well. This 2014 look for that number as never before as I believe that often it will be the Lord telling you that you are about to walk into a "commanded victory" that He has set up for you.
What I love about this verse, is that it invites us to see the Lord as King over every other situation, challenge, power, or authority. As we can see Him greater than "the giant" (usually a molehill) then we are able to recognize the commanded victory He has for us. It is so appropriate that we identify with Jacob in this verse because we often are so much like his nature. His very name means "heel grabber" or "supplanter" and it basically means "over reaching." In Gen. 27:36 Esau says of Jacob, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing!." A Jacob is always after Father's birthright and Father's blessing and it is a good thing. Papa would rather give either or both of those to someone who values it. To greatly value and receive that which He freely gives us is more important than "earning it." An Esau is always out 'hunting' his own kill. A Jacob stays in Father's tent and receives what is freely given. This is not about embracing laziness, but it's about living as a son versus living as an orphan. When you live as a son, your papa, the King, always has commanded victories for you.
444 VICTORIES
What is fascinating about this word "victories", is that in Hebrew it is the word "Yeshua." First of all, when you do the search for its' Hebrew meaning you will find that it is entry number 3444 in Strong's Concordance. Coincidence, I know. Imagine the significance of this verse when seeing it in the Hebrew language. Command "Yeshua" for the Jacobs! Yeshua is of course the Hebrew name for Jesus and we see this amazing hidden prophetic message on the redemption and inheritance we would receive through Jesus. Jacob, of course, speaks to natural Israel and to natural Jews, but also to all "seed of Abraham" who are so based on agreement with the faith of Abraham- in other words Christians.
The word YESHUA means "salvation, welfare, prosperity, victory" and so in 2014 lets be on the look out for victories, breakthrough and prosperity- that we haven't earned, but yet 'deserve' as a result of our acknowledged sonship. Some of us may view government entitlements so negatively that we resist going after even our spiritual "entitlements" based on inheritance thinking. A 'Jacob' overreaches for his birthright and blessing. You hang out in His tent to steward what He is GIVING rather than what you are EARNING. Jacob didn't just remain in the tent at all times, but he refused to leave until he had birthright and blessing. Let's get that inheritance and blessing before anything else. Jacob is then the father of Joseph and the father of Judah, as well as the other 10 tribes of Israel. He was immensely fruitful in his lifetime because inheritance was more important than activity. Appropriately enough, Gen. 46:27 tells us that "the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy". There is that 70 number again. Society gets invaded by Jacobs.
Psalm 44:5-8
These verses give us great insight into how we become victorious on the mountains of society, in government, in arts, in education, in economy, in family, in religion and in media.
- THRU YOU= the constant reminder of how we have victories
- PUSH DOWN= Hebrew word NAGACH means "to strike with the horn". Many victories will come accompanied by the sound of the shofar. Blowing the shofar for breakthrough is something a 'Jacob' will do as he looks for a commanded victory.
- TRAMPLE= your feet have to go where you want the victory. You want to stay in the tent with Papa until you know who you are and what He is giving you- but then your victory will be on 'enemy' soil.
- DON'T TRUST YOUR BOW= trust His bow instead. It is significant that the word QESHETH used here for BOW is the same word that is used in Genesis, when God told Noah, "I will put my bow(rainbow) in the sky". As we begin to see Him as this expanded 7 colored rainbow God, it is this expanded knowledge of Him that becomes our weaponry for shooting down the lies and distortions of the enemy.
- NOR YOUR SWORD= have a strength an edge or an ability but trust HIM.
- BUT YOU SAVED US FROM OUR ENEMIES= Hebrew word for enemies is TSAR which comes from root word, "to bind, be narrow, be in distress, be bound, make narrow, be harassed." He is looking to catapult you from your narrow, distressed, harassed place- as you look to Him.
- PUT THEM TO SHAME=in the Hebrew it basically reads "Those who hated us You shut their mouths with astonishment". Again think demonic resistance more than people, when you think of enemies.
- IN GOD WE BOAST ALL DAY LONG= HALAL is the word for boast, and it means PRAISE, SHINE, FLASH FOR LIGHT, TO BE BRILLIANT. Here is the great key. Since it is all about Him and from Him and for Him- we must stay in praise of Him and His greatness -ALL DAY LONG. He commands your victories.
- PRAISE YOUR NAME FOREVER= YADA is another Hebrew word for PRAISE that additionally means "to shoot arrows" and "to throw down". It is the root word for Judah and we know He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. When we stay in focus and exaltation of Him - as we go out and face the enemy on the mountains- 'arrows' are released that 'throw down' the enemy.
- SELAH= musical rest that means SILENCE! and think about this. Many people we hear from are wanting sophisticated strategies for advancing into the mountains of society. We do have some helpful guidelines but we really can't improve on this Psalm 44 directive.
ISAIAH 44: FEAR NOT JACOB MY SERVANT
Time does not permit us to do an in depth study of this chapter but it is a chapter well worth you receiving strength and encouragement from. Particularly the first 8 verses and then verse 23 though the end are key for this coming 2014. You will be encouraged for yourself as well as for your descendants. Is.44:4 has great promises for your descendants and the promise that they will "spring up" like "willows" among the grass that quickly withers. There is so much in the "willows" part.
PSALMS 67: YOU WILL GOVERN THE NATIONS ON EARTH
We have the same time limitation for this chapter but it is very key for 2014 and speaks of a great God who governs all the nations and whose face shines upon us. This chapter should be IV'd into our veins for this coming year as it carries the hopes Papa desires for us at this time.
PSALMS 111: HE HAS GIVEN HIS PEOPLE THE NATIONS AS HERITAGE
The ten verses of this chapter are also to be hope fodder for us as we go into 2014. It speaks of the glorious works of the Lord that are to be studied and this is how we grow in "the knowledge of God" that will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.
44 and 67 equals 111
For those who don't understand how God works in patterns and sequences that involve numbers and colors even, you can miss so much. In 2014 pay attention to these 3 numbers as they will carry significance and attach meaning to your life and what you are doing. Many of you have been seeing 111 all over the place and it is to draw attention to your assignment through the lens of Psalm 111. Additionally I have already spoken to you of 444 which is just an extension of the 44. I have highlighted Psalm 44 and 67 and 111 for you and as you can see when you add the first two it equals that latter one.
There is also a revisiting of the windows of life of 1944 and 1967(1944 I have already mentioned). 1967 was another huge year, this one more about a revival called "The Jesus Movement" that hit the hippies and outers of society, and eventually catapulted many new spiritual movements and denominations- Calvary Chapel and The Vineyard being primary. We have winds of 1944 and winds of 1967 that will revisit us in 2014 that all lead into the 111- which is Psalm 111 but also Isaiah 11:1 "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse."
BORN IN '44 or '67 or 44 or 67?
In the sequencing and playfulness of God (and overall hip and coolness) there will be a special catapulting grace for those born in '44 or '67 and for those who are 44 and 67. It is a grace for all but He has something special for these. For the ones born in 1944 or who are or will be 67 in 2014, there is such a "spirit of Caleb" thing available for you, where even at age 85 he was still looking for mountains to conquer. It's your choice- the world will tell you to retire and wind down, but the Lord wants you to know that He has your greatest works available for you if you will refire rather than retire. For those 44 or born
in 1967, you have been in a restricted place of confinement and refinement and it is your year to sing, sing, sing the songs of joy.
KEY COLORS AND MOUNTAINS
The key color of 2014 is blue, and the key mountains of heavenly assault are the mountain of religion and the mountain of education. Blue is the color of the mountain of religion and indigo blue is the color of the mountain of education. Blue is also, representatively, the color of the Holy Spirit and this is His year for breakthrough and catapulting as well. What He did in 1967 He will do again but within the guidelines of the new assignment of the Age of Restoration. He is going to capture a bunch of misfits and rejects and start a whole game-changing movement that will spawn off new church models, movements, and denominations. The next army of radicals will not just be revivalists, they will be reformers. Beginning in Rosh Hashanah a great angelic army comes to war on behalf of the mountain of education.
FINAL WORDS: UNFORGIVENESS, DEVOURING WORDS, INSINCERITY
In closing, let me restate what I listed at the beginning, which are the things that could void you participating in this years catapulting joys in the way you should. This prophetic word is an invitation to participate, more than a declaration of imposition. Right now unforgiveness (offense holding, bitterness, unreleased judgments) are rampant in the Body of Christ and it must stop. No matter what level of grace message you are being fed and strengthened by at this time, if it does not hold you accountable for refusing to forgive then it is subgrace. You can believe and declare over yourself all sorts of great things but they will all be sabotaged if you refuse to forgive. Nobody who truly needs to be forgiven deserves to be forgiven- so if you are waiting for your 'prey' to deserve your forgiveness - it is still unforgiveness. If as you are reading this, a person or situation comes to mind then radically deal with it now. Sometimes it is appropriate to go to the person, sometimes it is not. Let the Holy Spirit lead how - but release your own destiny by forgiving.
DEVOURING WORDS?
What do I mean by "devouring words"? It is what actually happens when you give yourself over to negative conversation. Life and death is in the power of the tongue and you just can not keep speaking out loud words that actually devour your harvest, your inheritance, and your destiny. If you already know that negativity notoriously comes out of your mouth this is a SELAH year for you. Just be silent. Don't agree with anything destructive that comes from anyones mouth or email. If there is a true warning to be aware of, it will come with a built-in hope. The United States is not going into Civil War this year. The economy will not collapse. No great earthquake or tsunami of consequence will come upon our shores this year. This is not about nationalism- but God still has a great destiny for America. This country was given to the world as a gift and she is not done with her God-given assignment. Stop trying to sabotage it with your presumptive knowledge of God's "holiness". He has been using the highly imperfect from the very beginning and He will for some time. Good news for all of us.
SINCERITY?
I have been shown that one of the main attributes that the Lord is looking for is simple sincerity. In John 1:47, Jesus praised a man named Nathanael, calling him a man "in whom is no guile". In John 4:23, Jesus talked about the Father looking for "true worshippers". Both of these speak of authentic heart responses that did not carry other subtle motives or agendas.
The word SINCERE itself is said to derive from the practice of ancient pottery making. SIN means without and CERE means wax. Often when potters would bake their vessel, cracks would show up that would greatly devalue the vessel or render it of no value. Potters would fill the cracks with wax and paint over it to cover up the defect. If a Corinthian pottery shop had over it SINCERUS it meant that the pottery contained no wax and that what you saw is what you were getting. This made the pottery valuable.
The message here is "get rid of the wax". Especially the wax around your heart. You, yourself, are the best judge of your own sincerity. If you are aware that you are not transparently living out of your heart - but rather out of agenda- then do business with God and become a sincere person. It can be difficult in such a tough, cynical, agenda-driven world, but we must become as little children in this way. He wants to give the kingdom to His hopeful, radiant, sincere, non-grudge holding children. For 2014 may you take full advantage of what He is making available to us by not sabotaging your own awesome destiny. He really doesn't need you to be perfect, and He just wants you to extend that same grace to others.
Now prepare to be catapulted.
Johnny Enlow
2014: REFORMATION OF OUR REPUTATION
LEADS TO REFORMATION OF THE NATIONS
They Will Know HIS Love When They Know OUR Love
My husband Johnny and I have a tradition of setting time aside every year to seek God's heart concerning the upcoming new year. This year I sensed God's invitation for His sons and daughters to participate in His plans of reformation in 2014 by caring more about our reputation or image in the world than ever before. I felt He said that as we gain a reputation more for our love than for what we stand against, then the knowledge of God and His correct reputation will also increase in the earth.
Just in case you may think it's inappropriate for a Christian to care about what others think of us, remember that Luke 2:52 says "Jesus increased in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man." I believe our Father has given us the same privilege and responsibility. You may also remember that Philippians 2:7 tells us that Jesus "made Himself of no reputation." If you read this verse in context, it explains how Jesus gave up His more true identity as God in order to be known as a servant among us. I believe God is inviting us to change our reputation, or what we are known for in the eyes of the world, for the purpose of increasing in favor.
The Love We Discovered in 2013 Will Launch Us Forward In 2014
Johnny's word for 2014 is The Year of the Catapult. God began to speak to me about our love for the world being the catapult that will launch us into the reformation of cities and nations. I believe He has taken our generation through many intentional steps over the last several decades to teach us, as His sons and daughters, how He truly does love us and desires an intimate and authentic relationship with us and not religion or works. The best evidence of that can easily be seen in the progression of our worship. Clearly we are learning to pour our hearts out to a God we feel can handle our honesty and wants our genuine affection and freedom in His presence. Our Father has individually and corporately been intentionally convincing our hearts of the very thing that we must learn to give away to the world - unconditional, extravagant love that secures us even when the enemy would try to use circumstances to convince us that we are not loved or valued. Until we began to believe it for ourselves, we certainly wouldn't have been capable of giving it away.
2013 was filled with the usual ups and downs, but it was a year that our hearts began to pass the test of knowing, no matter what circumstances looked like, we were still loved by God and He could still be trusted. Johnny described it like the intense pressure and tension that happens when a catapult is pulled back. It was in that place of tension and extreme pressure that our hearts became more convinced than ever of the goodness of the Lord and therefore convinced of His love towards us. The next step will be seen in our ability to give to the world that same love we have received. It is that very love that will propel us forward into places of influence, bringing with us the solutions God is excited to provide through us in all areas of culture.
2014: The War Is Raging
No matter where you live, what race or religion or economic situation you are in, you were born into a war zone. This war, along with every lesser battle, have and will always be over the same issue- the truth of who God is and what He's really like- His correct reputation. Habakkuk 2:14 assures us that this war will be won, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord." That word, "knowledge" can be translated as understanding or perception and "glory" can be translated as reputation. It all ends with the earth having seen the correct perspective of who God His- His correct reputation as the good, perfect, and amazing Father that He is! The war is over the knowledge of God.
All of us, from those who claim there is no God to the most spiritually mature, have struggled with knowing if God loves us, sees us, and if we are truly valuable to Him. Ever since that fateful bite was taken from the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve ate of from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, all of humanity has been attempting to perceive or judge if God is good or not, if He can be trusted or not, and if His intentions towards us are good. Whether we are aware of it or not, we individually and collectively live according to the perspective we have formed about God. He has a definite reputation in our eyes. His reputation among us is seen in the choices we make and in the ways humanity has established the structures of culture.
This war over the knowledge of God, or His correct reputation, plays out in the collective hearts of cities, nations, and their cultures in much the same way it plays out in our own individual hearts. We filter our understanding of God through our circumstances and the consequences of our reactions to them. We and others make decisions that cause painful results that leave us feeling unloved, unseen, and not valued. Most every aspect of culture and our lives reflects the pain cycle most are stuck in. We make decisions based on the fear of causing or receiving more pain, resulting in the creation of systems, structures, and values that we hope and believe will protect us from more pain. Those societal structures then cause us to reap the painful consequences that produce more circumstances in life that tempt us to make more decisions based in fear of pain. For example, our economic system is built on the reality of that fear of pain. We work, plan, and hoard more than we actually need while much of the world barely survives, all because we want to prevent ourselves and our families from the pain of lack or discomfort.
Culture itself, whether speaking of government or economic structures, education systems, or art/entertainment, is a collective response to our fear of pain and our wrong perceptions of God. Bottom line, we don't believe that He will care for us or that His ways are best for us, so we have constructed a society that reflects our best ways of caring for ourselves, which causes us more pain and therefore perpetuates more lies about Him.
As another example, our education systems, for the most part, reflect a collective perception of the way we think God instructs us. We have wrongly perceived, and therefore wrongly set up education that reflects our belief, that what God wants us to learn is more important than we are. At our core, we think what we know or can do is what gives us our value. We live as if we believe that we are valuable to God after we learn the things He wants to teach us. So, we pass this belief along by establishing education systems that leave our children believing the same thing. They are shuffled along year after year, expected to learn valuable information that will make them have value to the world. The truth is, we are of great worth to God and when He instructs us it always leaves us feeling our worth. His better way of educating causes us to know we are more important than what we are learning and that because we are valuable, He desires that we learn what He is teaching us. When culture is done God's better way, love permeates the experience and love is the result, not fear.
Finding the Correct Battle Front
Knowing what the war is over is not enough. We must also be fully conscious of what the war is not over in order to show up at the right battle front and fight a good fight. The battle is not about defining sin or who can do the best job communicating to the world what they are doing wrong. The battle is not over homosexuality, or prayer in schools, or who we elect to govern. I believe Christians have fallen into great deception and distraction when we run to false battle front lines that the enemy tempts us with. False battle fronts are usually those issues that present us to the world as ones who care more about what we are trying to teach them than we do about them.
Generally speaking, our current reputation is as those who are compelled to keep telling them what we are against and what they are doing wrong. The horrific thing about this is that because of that reputation, many now believe that God also is that way. Do we not realize that the only reason God even cares about sin and behavior is because He cares about us? Every other thought or emotion God has towards us pales in comparison to His love for us. Is that the God we have shown them? If they are ever going to know the real Him, we must see and then show them the real Him.
The real Him is the One Jesus showed us- forgiving, loving, healing, redeeming, accepting and never condemning. God impressed my heart with the reality of this in a new way. We must believe that the reason God sent Jesus was so that we could know Him and know His love for us. That was the reason for Jesus' death and resurrection- that we would know Him and His love for us. That was His message and must be our message to the world as well. He dealt with our sin through Jesus so that we could know Him, therefore we must become known for "He loves you!" and not "Deal with your sin!" We have shown the world the God we have perceived, but the good news is, we are beginning to see Him more clearly.
There Is One Enemy
If we are to participate with God in reforming nations by filling the earth with the knowledge of how good He is and how much better His ways are than ours, then we simply must remember that there is one enemy. Satan, the father of lies, is the one who uses us and our culture like pawns to spread His lies about who God is or isn't. He has done a good job of drawing us into an "us versus them" mentality. He tricks us into attacking the very ones we have been given the privilege to love in His name. When we are not vigilant, we become resentful of the very ones we are called to reach with the truth of how good He is. Why would someone who doesn't feel loved by us want to know our God?
I recently sensed God saying, "If my sons and daughters learn to be as protective over My reputation as a loving and good God as they have been over their right to live in a country that has Godly government, then they will see great advancement of My kingdom on earth in 2014 and the earth itself will celebrate." Many have lived from a place of disappointment in all the perceived ways our government has let us down, which has been a distraction from the real enemy.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul tells us that "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God..." This war is not against people, but against the lies, arguments, and mentalities about God that are false. Our weapons are not of this earth nor are they the usual tactics of debating, degrading, and destroying others. Perhaps we believe just as many lies about God as the world does. If we focused on the basics of the core truths we have learned and presented them more effectively and clearly to those we say we want to see free, we would see great progress in the knowledge of God in the earth. We are all wired the same by God- when we feel loved by Him, we draw near to Him. When we draw near to Him, He affirms our value to Him and leads us to freedom from those things that keep us distant from Him.
How Do We Individually Win This War?
We win with love. We win when we stop wasting our energy on false battle fronts, on the wrong enemy, and on a false responsibility for holding up a standard of behavior for the world. We win when we know how loved we are and then give it away extravagantly.
There will be no greater personal accomplishment you can achieve this year than to grow in the knowledge of God. None of us can give away what we do not have. As we grow in the understanding of all the ways He is good, we will begin to give to the world the God they have longed to know. When we are known for our love, they will want to know the real Him. When we are known for love that is expressed through practical solutions in culture, they will begin to see His better ways of doing everything. And His better ways always communicate to our hearts that we are loved, valued, and seen.
So how do we each grow in the knowledge of God? First, know that no one can do it for you. It requires hunger for Him that you can simply ask for if you don't have. You don't have to talk a hungry person into being disciplined enough to take the time and eat. Second, purpose to stay filled with His love. There are many ways you can do this: sit quietly with Him and let Him pour His love into you when you feel yourself running on empty. Study and write out the many scriptures that tell us about His love for us or write out a truth statement about how much He loves you and read it out loud to yourself a few times a day.
If we are going to shift our reputation as Christians, we must stay filled with His love. When we feel as loved as we are, then we will give it away freely and be able to see love as the only option in every situation and with every person. Give yourself permission to simply love. Take off the yoke of the enemy that says we must be able to "seal the deal" of salvation with someone in order for it "to count" or be worth our time. Be convinced that absolutely every time you choose love, you are advancing the knowledge of God in the earth. Yes, there will be times that we will help "connect the dots" for someone, but we must throw off the weight of trying to save the world when God has already done that. Through our love they will discover that reality. What a place of freedom we can live in!
Again, we win by deferring to love every time. I'm not saying we should always roll over and play dead. I'm talking about love as it is defined in 1 Corinthians 13, which would be a great text to begin the year meditating on.
Favor Is Coming!
Many have grown weary in recent years because we have begun to awaken to desires to bring change, yet we haven't found enough personal breakthroughs. So why hasn't God given us more favor in the world? I believe, that out of His love for us, our Father has been preparing us to handle favor. For at least two reasons we have not been ready: It would have consumed us and we would have confused it with His love. When favor comes to immature people they tend to self destruct. A good Father wants His children to always know and feel His love, even when circumstances aren't easy and tempt you to believe you've been abandoned. Love is unconditional, but favor is for the purpose of fulfilling destiny and advancing the kingdom. We must know in our core that we are always loved, wether we can see it or feel it. We must also know that the favor He gives us is not His love, rather it is His strategy for advancing the truth of who He is in the earth. Favor gives us permission to show them the Father and give them the love He has given us.
Favor is coming and your Father is making sure you are ready. Be so convinced of His love and goodness, that when favor comes, you know what it is for. May this be the year that our reputation of love is known in every home, office, shopping mall, Facebook post, etc. Wherever our voice is heard, let it resound with love.
Elizabeth Enlow
