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'Seasons come and seasons go. You MUST let go of the way you did things last season. It will not work that way anymore. YOU don't function that way anymore. Let go and let.....well, you know.'- God
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Every believer enters a season when God turns up the heat. Here's how to keep the goal of the refinement process in view when going through the flames.
Those of you who are familiar with the process of refining gold know that the gold is first placed in a crucible and subjected to intense heat. The heat causes the gold to melt and its impurities to separate and come to the top, where they can be skimmed off.
This process is repeated as many times as necessary in order to increase the quality and purity of the gold. For example, 10-karat gold does not have to be heated as much or as long as 14-karat gold. Twenty-four karat gold undergoes an even more intensive refining process.
In a similar manner, God is in the process of refining His church. He wants a pure, beautiful bride upon whom He can pour out His anointing and His power. God desires to manifest Himself through His church so that each of us is able to do the things Jesus did (John 14:12-14).
Christ longs for each member of His body to see what the Father is doing and to do it with Him. It is His will that we walk in victory and be overcomers. These are His highest priorities for the church.
The Refining Process
God has to remove the impurities from our lives that hold us back from going all the way with Him. I believe that this is His agenda for the church right now and that we have entered a season of God's refinement.
Refining can be a difficult and uncomfortable process. At times, we may feel very much as the gold does when it is being melted. We experience heat, discomfort and adversity.
This process is walked out a bit differently in each of our lives. For some of us, important relationships seem to fall apart. Others are misunderstood, misjudged and falsely accused.
Finances run out for some; others may face sickness or hardships. We may find ourselves struggling once again with emotions and issues that we thought we had long since conquered.
The purifying process can be especially confusing to those of us who have been seeking the Lord and drawn to a place of deeper intimacy with Him than ever before. We may not understand why God is allowing "bad" things to happen in our lives.
Is It God or the Enemy?
Some believers don't understand that God is refining them, so they "resist the devil" instead of submitting to the Holy Spirit (James 4:7, NIV). But God wants us to know what He is doing in this season so that we can properly respond to it.
Sometime the enemy's attacks and the refiner's fire look a lot alike. Fortunately, God has given us a strategy for distinguishing them. In his letter to the church, the apostle James wrote: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).
In other words, ask God, and He will make it clear to you. It may not happen the instant you ask because sometimes His answer has to work its way into our understanding.
God may choose to speak to you through circumstances. James says that the enemy must flee when we resist him and submit to God (James 4:7). So if you apply the authority that Jesus has given you over the situation and nothing changes, that may be a hint that this is God's hand on you and not the enemy's.
Perhaps you've seen a certain weakness frequently rise up in you. The Lord may be calling your attention to a character trait He wants to refine.
He may put a conviction in your heart, speak to you through the Scriptures or use friends to let you know that He wants to deal with you in a certain area. I can't tell you precisely how, but He will make it clear to you.
You can know when it's the enemy's attack and what strategy God wants you to use to resist him. And you can know when it is God's refining fire and how to best cooperate with Him in the process.
Why God Allows the Fire
We need to realize that God wants to purify our lives of the things that keep us from moving forward with His plan. Hosea 6:1-2 paints a picture of what God is doing:
"He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in His presence."
When I first read that passage, I had a mental image of a lion mauling someone. I could not understand why a loving Father would maul His children in that manner, so I asked God about it.
He told me: "Teresa, you have the wrong picture. Let Me show you what it really means." Then I saw a picture in my mind's eye of a surgeon skilfully cutting around a cancerous growth so it could be removed.
The cutting away of the "death" within us can be painful. But God's goal for the surgery is to remove those things that work death in us and replace them with His life.
Even if you are already walking in holiness, you will go through a season of God's refinement because He desires to radiate His glory and His presence through your life. He wants pure vessels that He can pour His anointing into.
We can't control whether or not God will take us through His refiner's fire, but we can control how long we stay in the fire. The more we resist Him, the longer the process will take. The more we cooperate with Him, the faster it will go.
Surrender to the Process
The first step in surviving God's refining process is to cooperate with Him rather than resist Him. Once I was holding on to something dear to me that held me back in my walk with God. For about a week, God and I struggled over this. Then He said: "Teresa, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but we will do it."
God showed me two pictures. The first was a child's hand tightly clasping a stone. An adult's hand began peeling back the child's fingers one by one until the stone fell out of her hand.
The second picture was the same child's hand holding the stone. But the child relaxed her grip and placed the stone in the adult's hand.
"Which will it be?" the Lord asked me.
Suddenly I understood that God was going to remove this thing from my life. I could willingly cooperate with Him, and He would help me gain the victory with minimal pain and effort. However, if I chose to resist Him, He would orchestrate one situation after another to "pry back my fingers" until I could not hang on to it any longer.
Tearfully, I laid this thing on the altar. It was not long before God gave me the victory in this area, and I found new fruit of the Spirit emerging in my life.
Then God showed me a little girl holding on to a very dirty and tattered teddy bear. The girl's father was trying to take the bear away, and she resisted strenuously.
Finally, she released her grip on the old teddy bear. As soon as she did, the father placed an exquisitely beautiful doll in her hands that she liked much more.
God showed me that He made me give up what I had been holding on to so that He could replace it with something better.
Acknowledge the Need
The second step in surviving the process is to see our need for cleansing. "Impurities" will rise to the surface, and we will see behaviors, attitudes and character traits in ourselves that we do not like.
When the pressure is on, inappropriate responses from our weaknesses and woundedness will become more visible. These may include bitterness, unforgiveness, fear, anger or sinful desires that we know are displeasing to God. These have to come to the top so they can be "skimmed off."
We may be horrified at what shows up in our lives. Some of us may go into denial mode and try to push these things down.
But Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Luke 5:31). We need to see our need before God will help us.
Receiving forgiveness for sins works on the same principle. We must see our guilt, confess our sins and repent before God will forgive us (1 John 1:9). If we acknowledge our need for God to help us in this area of our character, He will.
Some of us become upset and condemn ourselves when we notice impurities present in our lives. We may even pull away from God.
But God wants us to run to Him and receive His forgiveness and cleansing. His desire is not to condemn us but to purify us and transform us into the image of His son (Rom. 8:1; Titus 2:14; 2 Cor. 3:18).
We're in the Fire Together
We can be of great help to our friends and acquaintances when they go through God's refining in their lives by 1) understanding that God is bringing impurities to the surface to remove them and 2) being quick to forgive and slow to take offense. We also need to encourage our loved ones to have hearts after God, bless their resolve for holiness, pray and speak God's strength into them.
As I begin this article, I want to share first that what I am writing is not just an article but a deep stirring and a passion in the depths of my heart. The Lord has recently even begun stirring a deeper understanding and a deeper unction to see a national-level of "Glory Revival Awakening" take place.
There is such a powerful need of an awakening in the Body of Christ right now.
In an awakening, a slumber and apathy is loosed off a generation, and they awaken to the sovereignty and purposes of the Lord for their generation that will impact the coming generations until the Lord returns.
It is very important for us to embrace and pray into this level of an Awakening in our nation. Psalm 33 declares that the plans of many will come to nothing, but the counsel of the Lord will stand firm, and blessed is the nation who has the counsel of the Lord.
The Lord loves to reveal His counsel to each generation. The Word shows in Isaiah 58:12 that we can see a lasting impact on the foundations of generations that lasts even until the return of Christ:
"Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In" (Isaiah 58:12).
As I share in this article a few thoughts on the topic of Glory Revival Awakening, it will not be all-inclusive. There is much to say and study on this powerful aspect of a national revival. But in our current society, we are in need of a powerful "Awakening" that literally awakens a generation to truth that sets us free and impacts the coming generations.
It is an amazing thing to see a revival break out from the presence and power of the Lord. In a matter of weeks, months, or a few years, a nation can be changed from decades of spiritual decay and depravity into a new course of societal transformation in the Lord's purposes.
I can say with deep conviction and with great expectation in the Lord that there has been a shift in the atmosphere and that people want to walk and live in greater heights with the Lord. I can feel this transition. In that type of atmosphere, people begin to advance in their callings and purposes in the Lord that will, in turn, have societal transformation impact in everyday living around them.
(Love For His People Editor's Note: I too sensed this shift, and wrote about it in March 2014 in one of my NOW THINK ABOUT THIS message. Steve Martin)
So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God... Haggai 1:14
The phrase "stirred up" in this verse means, in the original Hebrew, "to rouse, awaken, excite, raise up; to incite; to arouse to action; to open one's eyes."
This same Hebrew word is used 81 times in the Old Testament. It is used to describe how an eagle stirs up its nest (see Deuteronomy 32:11), and also how a musical instrument is awakened or warmed up before it is played (see Psalm 108:2). It's used in Isaiah 50:4 twice – when the Lord awakens the prophet each morning, and when He awakens his ear to hear God's message (from The Spirit Filled Bible Word Wealth).
The Lord is arousing many in the Body of Christ deep within the inner man to press in even more, creating a deeper hunger from the stirring of the Lord in the hearts of His people.
I know this to be true from what I have observed in our own meetings, conferences, and schools. There is a drawing of the Lord for the hungry right now, a deep stirring that brings a cry – a cry of Jeremiah 33:3:
"Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and might things, which you do not know." This is called holy desperation! The Lord initiates the hunger; and as He stirs up our spirit, we respond by calling out to Him. He answers us by showing us great and hidden mighty things we did not know!
The word "mighty" there means "inaccessible." It means that it was once fortified, fenced in, and we had no access, but now it has been opened up so that we can come in! He gives us "clearance" to come in to a place where He reveals mysteries. This creates a deeper longing and hunger in the hearts of His people as He begins to reveal His plans and thoughts to individuals, churches, regions, and nations.
Keith and Janet Miller Stand Firm World Ministries
Keith and Janet Miller minister throughout the U.S. and internationally, across denominational boundaries, with a vibrant teaching, preaching, and ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, seeing entire cities and regions impacted by the glory of the LORD! Keith and Janet have founded and pastored a church. Keith is also a conference speaker, and he and Janet are regular guests on Christian television.
They have put together Apostolic Revival Teams to see entire regions powerfully impacted with a fresh anointing, fresh oil, and an increase of a deeper passion for JESUS. Keith and Janet's hearts are to see God's people released and walking in their destiny for the LORD, to see the advancement of the Kingdom of God through each person's life, and the effective working of HIS mighty power through the Believer's life.
“…since
He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from
one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having
determined their appointed times and the
boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they
might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”
(Acts 17:25-28 NASU)
The Lord speaks
to you unexpected sometimes. I think He waits to get a word in when there is a
break in the music we have on the radio or in our ear; when the conversation
between people takes a pause; or when the complaint we just “voiced” in our
thoughts has died done for a minute. That can be a good time for Him to interrupt
our train of thought.
And so it
was, driving home from work on a Tuesday late afternoon. I know I was asking,
wondering, begging and complaining – all in my head of course, “When will this
job be done?”
I continued
maneuvering around the heavy traffic, Jeff Gordon #24 NASCAR style of course, and
listening to the CD in the car. Mostly I was day dreamingly complaining. I am
sure you have done that too.
“When can I
get on with what I really think I should be during in this time of my life?” I
was murmuring again in my thought pattern. I wasn’t really expecting an answer.
I was just wanting it to be known. To the Lord, of course, in case He had
forgotten of my situation these past months.
“When your
assignment is done,” came the unexpected reply.
I shut my
thoughts up immediately. Not only had He, in that brief statement, told me when
the time would be completed, but even gave me the way to move on. When I had
completed the assignment He had given me to complete on this job, He would
direct me to the next one. Thus I could rest in that, be assured of that, and
get on doing what I was called to do while there.
His word to
me was “as clear as a bell”, as a former boss would say after making his point.
Often in
these writings, believing it is quite so, I share the fact that we each have
specific purposes to fulfill in this life, according to the wise plans of God
the Father. Out of His infinite wisdom and knowledge, being Omniscient (all
knowing) and Omnipotent (all powerful), His ways are above our ways. That in
itself can give us peace, knowing He is always in control.
"...appointed times and the
boundaries of their habitation."
Having a
basic understanding of our purpose and function, as part of the Body of
Messiah, and using our gifts and talents faithfully in that purpose, will
enable us to know the current assignment the Teacher has given. Then we can do
it to the best of our ability, complete it, and move on to the next one.
When we
have completed all the assignments He has put in our personal life book, then we will
have completed the race, and will receive the eternal reward He promises to
give to us.
“I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. All
that awaits me now is the crown of righteousness which the Lord, “the Righteous
Judge,” will award to me on that Day - and not only to me, but also to all who
have longed for Him to appear.” 2 Tim 4:7-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)
Dear family of friends,
Do you ever get that sense, “Yes, that is done, what is
next” feeling? Not necessarily the one when you have actually just finished a
project, and there is a clear ending point, but the one where you just know in
your knower that this season in life, completed over a long term, has been
accomplished? Yes, that sense. Let me share further on that.
I truly believe there are seasons of the soul, similar to
seasons in nature. Just as the Scripture says, “...the spiritual is not first, but the
natural, and afterward the spiritual.”
(1 Cor. 15:46 NKJV), the Creator has given us another visual of how life
develops in our soul. His very creation, using the four seasons of spring,
summer, fall and winter in many locations on the earth, give us understanding
in life matters. There is a time of birth (spring), many years of anticipating,
experiencing and doing with full activity (summer), and then the wind down (fall)
before the completion in death (winter).
And for those who have raced, either on foot or in a
swimming pool, or have been a fan of NASCAR or open wheel car racing (FORMULA 1
style), you too have participated in or seen the starting point, the long stretch
of ups and downs during the race, the high point right before the completion,
and then the finish line. Another concept of how our lives are.
In the spiritual realm, similarly understood through
these natural occurring events, the Lord gives us seasons and races. In His
revealing of Himself to us, through our five senses of our sight, sound, smell,
taste and touch, His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew) is showing us His
life and purpose – to give us further understanding of His purposes and ways. While
the spiritual also includes dreams and vision, and other aspects in revelation,
this is how we learn.
One example of season and race concepts has been apparent
in my good wife Laurie and my lives. It has been in the area of leading worship.
Both Laurie and I have been gifted in music, with voice and instrument (more
voice than instrument!) We have shared this gift with the Lord and His people,
by participating in many settings of song and instrument over a period of 40
years each, from our teenage years through our 50’s.
There were the early years of lessons in vocal, piano and
guitar. These were followed by the musicals, the school choirs, the seven
church groups, and then the three bands. The point has now come to where the
Lord has said, “That season is done. I have some other plans and purposes for
you now.” Sure, we may lead a small group now and then in our gatherings, but
we know that another race, another season, is on the new horizon. We lay down that
which has finished, while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and
Finisher of our ongoing faith (Heb. 12:2). We are called to continually pursue
His next passion, coming forth out of His heart, being instilled in us together.
I love seasons. I love races. I love how the Lord uses
these in our lives to provide encouragement for our spiritual seasons and
races. Understanding that each of these however come and go helps us to let go
as needed, so we can begin the next one. Often, they happen whether we like it
or not. But in giving Him our ongoing trust and appreciation, our understanding
can be better served as the next season or race comes our way.
Be content where you are at now in life. That was one of
Paul’s heavenly insights. If it feels like you are in an all out race, then give
it all you got. If the season you are in seems as if you’d really prefer the
next one right about now, just wait a bit. It will happen. For another one is
on the way!
Ahava to my family of friends,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.
Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization
started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.
If these letters minister to you, please consider sending
a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless known
families in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian
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This Hebrew New Year has been proclaimed the "Year of the Open Door." (Abyla for rgstock.com)
Many have proclaimed this New Hebrew Year, 5774, the "Year of the Open Door." While I concur with that, I often look at things from an additional perspective that includes not only the revelation of the Holy Spirit but the ways of God. So, if it is the "Year of the Open Door," then it is helpful to ask: "What are the requirements to go from one stage to the next?" We need to consider: "To go through an open door, do you have to close some old doors first?"
I personally believe we are in a season of turmoil, upheaval and contention—resulting in change. We are at a crossroads of change. This is true politically in the Middle East, in the United States and in many other nations.
There are issues—such as global economics, the very moral foundation of this generation, concerns of social justice, required change in the body of Christ, and all the ramifications these bring into our personal lives and families. We truly need grace for this transition!
So, let's go on a journey together and see if we find some principles that will help us go from "promise revealed" to "promise fulfilled."
From Narrow to Transition to Enlargement
We are in a process of change. The government of the church is changing. Our authority level is changing. Our gifts are being drawn out of us in stretching dimensions. We have been and are going through places of testing and confinement in the body called a "narrow place."
What is this narrow place? This is a place less wide than we are accustomed to or have expected to be in. If we respond properly to the narrow or confined place, we will enter into the phase of transition to be brought into a larger place in the Spirit.
The new place is like the camel going through the eye of the needle. One school of thought is that it was a narrow gate. The only way a camel could get through it was to be unloaded. This is the needle—the narrow gate. This is a place of unloading the weights of the past and a place of fresh commitment to the cross, where we die to self all over again. The "narrow place" can lead us out of captivity into a new and open field.
How Can We Make the Transition?
Transition means "to pass from one condition into another." Transition times are when the Lord redefines and makes adjustments necessary for us to move forward. He gives us new focus and direction. He teaches us about Himself in a new way.
A transition, in a literary sense, is the phrase that connects the past communication or paragraph with the future thought. We must seek the Lord for revelation and the ways of God in times of change. His revelatory perspective bridges the past season with the new one. Without clear revelation and communication during transition, we can lose the strength and wisdom of our past victory. But we desperately need His strength to go from glory to glory.
At the time of birth, transition is the most difficult time. This is the time when the woman feels she cannot go any further. Only the vision of the child to come causes the endurance and perseverance toward the ultimate goal of a lineage and legacy being secured.
It isn't the new thing coming that is so hard to deal with; it's the transition from the old state of affairs to the new one. How we respond during the time of transition before the new birth makes all the difference.
As you travail in this season, ask the Lord to give you strategy to protect your vision. Remember, the dragon attempts to steal new birth (Rev. 12:4). Press forward! Cry out for greater grace to be granted to you to keep moving forward.
When these changes manifest, enlargement occurs. To enlarge is to expand, to set free, to become greater in size and intensity. Enlargement—or going through the new open door—is a process, not just a proclamation. Press through the narrow, withstand the transition, and receive enlargement.
The Process of Change
Here are few thoughts on the process of change:
1. A new level of revelation is released.
2. Your present vision starts to be adjusted.
3. New vision is secured and established.
4. A mantle of restoration is placed upon you.
5. You go through the healing process concerning things of the past.
6. A new identity is developed within you.
7. Fresh strategies are revealed to you.
8. You see a greater fullness of your inheritance before you.
9. You have the strength to overthrow your enemies.
10. You secure your new inheritance.
Observing from my own prayer posture in life and ministry experience, if you are experiencing a narrow place of confinement or you sense you are in transition, be assured. He is about to visit you with a fresh demonstration of His Spirit! May your resources increase and your trials become stepping stones to renewed power and revelation.
And know this: When you have come through the "new door," there are others who have been watching your pilgrimage. When you are strengthened, you will be enlarged to strengthen others in Jesus' name!
Dr. James W. Gollis the president of Encounters Network, director of Prayer Storm and coordinator of Encounters Alliance, a coalition of leaders. He is director of God Encounters Training, an e-school of the heart, and is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team.
He has shared Jesus in more than 50 nations worldwide, teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He is the prolific author of numerous books and has also produced multiple study guides and hundreds of audio and video messages.
James was married to Michal Ann for 32 years before her graduation to heaven in the fall of 2008. James has four adult children who all love Jesus, and he continues to make his home in Franklin, Tenn.
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As I begin this article, I want to share first that what I am writing is not just an article but a deep stirring and a passion in the depths of my heart. The Lord has recently even begun stirring a deeper understanding and a deeper unction to see a national-level of "Glory Revival Awakening" take place.
