When The Promise Tarries Part 2

We are continuing with the subject of preparation, the promise may not only involve personal preparation such as education or preparation of the heart, and things being worked out of us and worked into us so that we are properly prepared, but there may also be the preparation of other people who are to be involved in the manifestation of the promise. In the case of ministry, there is not only the preparation of the vessel, but also the preparation of the message within the vessel, and then the preparation of the ones who are ordained to recieve the message from that vessel to carry it to other places.

Years ago in the 80's I and others we're recieving a "word" that wasn't to be released until 20 years later into the body of Christ. Had I and others not waited until the right time to release it, it would have been a word out of season, which means, it wouldn't have been received, and the maturity would not have been there both in the vessels to minister the word in the proper way nor in the vessels who were to recieve it in a proper way.

You know that word that keeps getting prophesied over you, yet there seems to be no fullfillment? Perhaps you've said to yourself or others out of frustration, "If I get that word one more time, I'm gonna scream!". There may be a principle at work that you haven't thought of. In order for the prophetic word to come to fulfillment sometimes there must be "mass and momentum" built up behind it so that it can break out of the spirit realm into manifestation in the natural realm. How does mass and momentum build? When it involves prophecy, it comes through the prophetic word being repeated and released over and over. Even in the case of Jesus, it was prophesied numerous times before He showed up on the earth. God will do this not only for the purpose of the "mass and momentum" effect, but also because His word must be established. As the prophetic word is released repeatedly, it's also being established in the heavenly realm and in this earth realm.

Sometimes there are things that must be worked into and out of our lives and character before we can qualify to enter into the promise. Qualities such as endurance, patience, maturity, restoration and stability may need to be worked into us while impatience, immaturity, wounds and instability may need to be worked out of us. In order for these things to be worked into and out of us we must go through the process. The process is never easy, and most try to avoid it at all cost because it is uncomfortable and can even be painful.

The Call

By Misty Hodges


"Choose me this day," I heard the Lord say, I answered “Lord I choose you, what do I do?" I went into a vision and the Lord showed me the ministry He had for me. It was new and exciting, learning to hear God, going to Bible school-- so much zeal and passion for the new things to come. The drive to help people and see them come into the fullness of the Lord completely healed and delivered.


The Pharisees and Sadducees come along and deliver a big blow to my zeal and passion with their laws and legalism. I get the wind knocked out of me, but I keep going. New ministry opportunities come along and people are being set free. I am still full of passion, but the Pharisees and Sadducees come and again they deliver another blow. This time it hurts a little more, but I manage to pick myself up and start again. I notice my zeal is not as strong as it once was, but I keep going. Ministry begins to happen, signs, miracles and wonders follow me, things are going well.


The Pharisees and Sadducees come again in force like a mob to beat me down and persecuted me; they ask me, "Just who do you think you are, doing these things? Who gave you permission?" I find myself wanting to stop and retreat, if just for a moment, but I keep going with less zeal and less passion, but because of love I continue.


I choose to get up, the fields are white and ready for harvest. Something within me is compelling me to continue. God moves through me in mighty ways. Power and authority flow through me and people are ready to receive from me and seek me out to mentor them.


Again the Pharisees and Sadducees rise up and start throwing big stones with their words and legalism. They walk away, there I am, left bloody and nearly dead. I lift up my eyes to the Lord and I say, "Lord forgive them for they know not what they do," and I lie there wanting to die; no zeal left --no passion left --there's nothing left in me to rise again. The Lord Himself comes, touches my wounds to heal them and He says, "Go." Through the tears, I say, "Lord, how can I? There's nothing left in me, the zeal and the passion --it's all gone. I cannot, Lord." Something inside of me begins to stir and rattle within my heart and bones. I am strengthened to get up once more. This time it feels different, much different. I know I cannot do it on my own, only the Lord through me. Filled with mighty power from on high, full of His Spirit, the zeal and passion are back! I go forth in power and authority in the Lord.


The Pharisees and Sadducees once again show up and I close my eyes, ready for the inevitable onslaught and attack. I stand there, waiting for the pain and anguish to return, but to my amazement, I find they no longer have power over me. It's the Lord's strength in me and not my own. When I open my eyes, I discover I've passed right through the midst of those who wanted to kill me. They stand there watching me as I rise up to the highest levels, just me and Jesus, nothing else matters.


I exhort you this day, run to Jesus, allow Him to heal you of your brokenness, your shattered visions and dreams. There are so many wonderful things He has in store. Jesus is waiting for you.

When The Promise Tarries Part 1

Ever felt like you've been caught in the middle between the promises of God and the fulfillment of the promises?
Why do the promises of God go unfulfilled altogether, or seem so delayed from their manifestation?
Is there anything that can be done to help the manifestation of the fulfillment along?

These are some of the questions that I've heard repeated so often in 33 years of prophetic ministry. I want to take a moment here and try to shed some light for clarification on these questions that we all have asked at one point or another without going into a theological thesis on the subject.

In Habakkuk 2:3 we see a promise concerning this very subject: "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

First of all we need to ask ourselves a question that needs to be asked and all too often is not is, "Has God really said" or is the promise simply wishful thinking? This requires an honest answer if we are ever to truely enter into what He really has for us. For example, I cannot count how many times I've run into people who are merely in love with the thought of having a global ministry versus those who are actually called to one. It's been my observation that in most cases, the ones who are called, don't want one, and those that want one aren't called to have one.

Don't confuse being in love with an idea with a calling. We need to be very cautious of "hearing" from God about what our flesh wants to do! Know the difference. I've seen many fall into this type of deception only to find ultimate failure and misery in the end.

Secondly we need to understand that we have our time table and God has His. His time table includes a season or seasons of preparation to receive the promise, so that once we recieve the promise we can maintain it and walk in it. When we obtain His promises He doesn't want the enemy to be able to come in and easily just take them away from us. Instead, He intends us to hold on to and maintain the ground we take as with the Israelites when they took possession of Canan. Before David could take the crown of kingship, he had to be prepared, before Moses could lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he had to be prepared. Therefore preparation is absolutely necessary.

"Ordinary is the enemy of the Christian life as it was meant to be experienced"- Pat Hodges

Making The Shift

We in the body of Christ are in the middle of a massive shift where we are amongst other things, shifting out of the church age into the Kingdom Age. From the age of man to the Age of our heavenly Father. This season we are moving into will not only bring changes in the body of Christ but it will also bring changes and shifts of biblical proportions, in the areas of politics, economics, and even geographical changes.


There are 4 phases in the shift as we transition out of the church age into the Kingdom Age:
1. Preparation for the shift
2. Death - letting go of the former things
3. Confusion - a season of "wilderness"
4. Crossing over and making the shift - stepping out of the boat, laying hold of what God is bringing

In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul spoke of letting go of the former things:
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In Esther 9:12-14 we see where Esther brought a shift for the nation of Israel:

12 And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have

slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace

and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of

the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be

granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be

done.

13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to

the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also

according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be

hanged upon the gallows. 

14 And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree

was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

Esther brought the shift though what she requested of the king

What can stop us from making the shift?

1. Religious ritual

John 2:1‑10

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to

Him, "They have no wine."

4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do

with Me? My hour has not yet come."

5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to

the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty

gallons apiece.

7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

Notice the hesitancy of Jesus in verse 4. Jesus understood that once he made the shift into his ministry there was no going back once he crossed over.
The water pots represent religious ritual.  In verse 11 the shift happens because religious rituals are broken. Water was supposed to flow from those pots, not wine. As long as we cleave to what has been, we will not enter into the shift that God intends for us to make.

2. Unbelief
3. Fear of change
4. Distraction
5. Unwillingness to change

Chuck Pierce confirms what I've written in our blog concerning the emerging butterflies.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omega-Ministries/74970275325

Life More Abundantly

I love it when God confirms His word! Read this! Chuck Pierce just released the following word on restoration:

By Chuck D. Pierce
Excess: the state or an instance of surpassing usual, proper, or specified limits. Let us open the door of “Excess” today as we move into Abundance like never before!

 What is it, then, that God is longing to restore to us? Simply put, He wants to restore life—the life that He destined for us. His primary method of restoration is through the redemptive work of Jesus. In order for us to have an adequate understanding of what life in Jesus means, let’s take a look at a familiar passage. In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” This verse is full of tremendous promises and certainly bears the need for a closer look.

First, this passage promises “that they might have.” The “they” referred to in this passage becomes clear as we read the context. Jesus is speaking of Himself as the Good Shepherd and “they” are the sheep of His pasture. This passage, therefore, is written to include every one of us who are His sheep. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and follow Him as your Lord, the promises of this passage are for you.
“Might have” is a key phrase to the concept of possession. From the Greek word echo, “might have” includes the idea of having or holding in one’s hand, or in the sense of wearing as a piece of clothing. Included in the meaning is to own or possess external things such as property or riches; to be joined by the bonds of natural blood, marriage, friendship, duty or law; to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to; to be closely joined to a person or thing. The life that Jesus promises to bring is meant to be our possession—so much a part of us that it is bound to us and we to it.

So, what exactly is life? Physically, life is the property in animals, plants and humans, that makes it possible for them to obtain supply which will produce energy, create growth, adapt themselves to their surroundings and reproduce their kind. Though this may be a strict definition of life, Jesus is talking about much more than simply having existence and reproducing. The Greek word zoe is what has been translated in this passage as life. Zoe means to be possessed of vitality; to have life active and vigorous; to be devoted to God; to be blessed; to be among the living (not lifeless, not dead); to enjoy real life, true life worthy of the name; to pass life on to others; to be fresh, strong, efficient, active, powerful; to be endless in the kingdom of God. From this definition Jesus is clearly referring to physical life and spiritual life rich in quality and quantity, since this word also denotes eternal life in the kingdom of God.

But Jesus does not stop there. Not only are we to enjoy such a quality of life and a future hope of eternity, we are also to have it “more abundantly.” Perissos, the Greek word for abundantly, means excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, more than sufficient, superior, more remarkable, more excellent.

In summary, God’s intentions for us are truly amazing. He longs to take us from a place of judgment, desolation and fruitlessness to a place of abundant restoration and increase of life!