Lisa Great

Seasons is a common word in the body of Christ. We say we are in a season of waiting, a season of warfare, a season of testing, a wilderness season. I have said the same thing, but as I was thinking about waiting, I realized waiting is not a season it is a lifestyle.

Waiting for the wine is called fermenting for the sake of flavor profiles; waiting for coffee beans is called roasting for the sake of pulling out the richness of the oils; and waiting for whiskey or bourbon is called being barreled for the sake of pulling out the notes and colors.

When our waiting is holding out for some promise, then we want the waiting to end and the promise to begin. As I was pondering this idea of waiting, I saw in the spirit a statue with the word promise on it. And I sensed we have made the promise we are waiting for an idol.

Jesus is the promise; God our Father is the promise; the Holy Spirit is the promise. If in our waiting we are not finding Him who is the pearl of great price, we will be waiting for something to happen, rather than finding Someone.

My heart for the past two or more weeks has been crying out, I want You; I want to be one with You; You are all I want; You are all I desire. There is an ache in me not for a promise or prayer to be answered, but for Him. He is my one desire (Psalm 27:4-6).

I sense we have made the promise an idol and He is using the waiting to remove all the idols, so all we want is Him. He is the flavor profile we seek; He is the bold notes we love; He is the one pulling out the rich oils of His character in us. Waiting is not a season it is a lifestyle that makes us want Him. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

When you understand who the author of any book was speaking to at the time of its writing; when you know the culture of the people in whom a book was written to; when you do a little background study, it brings to life the words of the prophets and why they said what they said to the people in whom they were speaking.

Whether Hebrew idioms, cultural realities, or spiritual entities they worshipped or feared. When this information is understood, it does not diminish the reality of the truth, nor does it deny the power of the prophet who is speaking, it actually adds value to it.

If someone read something written to Americans and it said, “It’s raining cats and dogs”, if they took it literally, they would think what a sight that would have been to see. But we as Americans know very well that is not a literal statement, it is an American idiom. The same is true in Hebrew.

When Isaiah is speaking to the Jews who were in Babylonian exile, he spoke to a people who knew what he was talking about for they all lived in the same culture. Their culture had a spirtitual understanding of Egyptian gods and saw their horses as spiritual forces.

When Isaiah says “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit” (Isaiah 31:3), Israel knew the prophet was demystifying their fear of Egypt. Not to scare them but to liberate them from a narrative that was not true. Men are not gods and horses are not spirits.

To this day Egyptian deities are worshipped and feared around the world, so the words of Isaiah are important for us to hear as well. Men are not gods and horses are not spirits. And the verse ends by saying, “When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall and he who is helped with fall down; they will all perish together.”

God is the only God; the Holy Spirit is the only Spirit; and Jesus is the God Man who walked on earth, died, was buried, rose again and is current present reality seated in heaven at the right hand of His Father. We have nothing to fear. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Every one of the 12 tribes of Israel had a role to play in the building of a nation. They complimented each other, for each was needed. Judah brought a piece of the puzzle that Naphtali did not have; Zebulun added value in a way that Gad could not. Each of the 12 played a key role in building a nation and what a nation it was and is that God has built.

The rainbow is a circle not a half moon. Our eyes cannot see it in its full circular fashion, so we see it as an arch, but it is actually proven to be a circle. The rainbow is a circle of the reminder of the covenant God has made with His people. Just as a ring is a circlular covenant to remind a man or a woman of their covenant they made with the other.

The covenant encircled Israel as God was making them a nation and this circle is still around us today. We like Israel are in the process of seeing nations built. Each nation brings a different piece of the puzzle to the table, but all the nations are encircled by the covenant God has made with them.

Psalm 2 says, “Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance!” Jesus asked for the nations and as a Son He was given the nations. When John spoke of this inheritance he said, “For God so loved the world He gave His one and only begotten Son into the world to save it!”

We are currently in a transition of the likes that Israel experienced in crossing the Red Sea; Naomi experienced in coming back to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest; David experienced when he brought the ark into the city of David; Peter experienced in that upper room when the wind blew and the fire fell. That level of transition.

And we have a role to play as a nation. The tribe of Issachar is said to have known the times and what Israel should do. Knowing we are in a time of transition of a proportion we have never experienced is critical right now. We have never gone this way before, but we are encircled by the covenant of God, and every nation has a role to play. Rejoice, God is working all things out for the good. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Cares are like grains of sand that get clogged in the hour glass if we don’t cast them on the Lord. They stop the flow and cause us to feel trapped. But when we cast our cares on the Lord, the clog is cleared, the air returns and we can see and hear clearly again.

The clog can feel like spiritual warfare, and it is, but the answer is to cast our cares on the Lord, for He cares for us. The reason they are like grains of sand is because they are little things that clump together and cause the passage way to abundance to be blocked.

The passage to abundance is narrow, but abundance itself is wide open spaces. The hour glass reveals to us not a measure of time, but a visual of Jesus’ words that say, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Even when the hour glass get clogged and we experience struggles, as we cast our cares on Him, a new song comes out of our mouth. Every care, every struggle reveals a chance to cast it on Him. Once we cast it, He reveals to us more of who He is.

Psalm 59:16-17 says, “I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.”

Our songs carry substance when we sing them after a struggle. We sing from experience not just words on a screen. Worship has a person of affection attached to it, because we cast our cares on Him and He genuinely cares for us. The song is evidence the clog has been removed and we are operating in abundance. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

The Bible is a book of mystery and history; it is the most alive words on the face of earth. It takes more than one flyby in order to understand and hear the life that is pulsating through the pages of this best selling book on earth.

Not only is the Word of God alive, it is also filled with patterns, proverbs, people, places and promises. It is one narrative form Genesis to Revelation and when we can see and hear what God is saying, we come alive. This is why the apostle Paul could say with confidence, “We have the mind of Christ.”

One of the related themes in the word of God is that God Himself is humbling the proud and exalting the humble. This is an ongoing process because we have a bent toward pride because we fear being humble. Even though all we desire is found in humility not proud.

Humility takes great internal courage, for we must trust someone else is protecting us, providing for us, promoting us. Trust in God is the key to being inside strong, which is what we need in order to be humble.

Reading the book of Isaiah feels so relevant to every generation and speaks into now time all the time. Isaiah 28 says, “The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot…In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people.”

We get to chose the crown we want to wear, the crown of pride or the crown of glory. One crown is coming down and one crown is being lifted up. This is always good news no matter the crown you are wearing. Pride never works out so being humbled is good news.

Now if we can get our narrative to match God’s narrative we will alway speak good news. Words are seeds my friends and we must seed the earth with the truth that sets the earth and the sons of God free. Wear your crown of glory and tell the story of the good news of the kingdom of God. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Have you ever asked yourself why all the good news scriptures are in the distant future? People that have an end times view of everything has to get worst for Jesus to come, put all verses that defeat the enemy into a heavenly reality not an earthly one. But that is changing, slowly, but steadily.

I was reading Isaiah 27 this morning and it says, “In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan, the fleeing serpent; Leviathan, that twisted serpent; and He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.” The question is, in what day?

To answer this question we have to go back to Isaiah 23:1-3 to find out who is Isaiah speaking about, “The burden against Tyre. Wail you ships of Tarshish…Be still you inhabitants in the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; whom those who cross the sea have filled. And on great waters the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the River, is her revenue; and she is the marketplace for the nations.”

In context Leviathan is tied to Tyre and Sidon and the name could be a title for their leader. For bible students, this ties to Babylon in Revelation 18, who is spoken of in similar fashion and who Ezekiel the prophet speaks of as the Prince of Tyre.

The point being, is we must read things in context in order to understand, when that day is. That day is not some way distant day in our future, it was a day in their reality when God dealt with Leviathan, who is connected to Tyre and Sidon. When we read it in context, the fear of Leviathan is removed and we realize victory over that sea serpent was given to YHVH.

There is so much good news in the word of God and when we read things in context, rather than pull verses in order to create a narrative, we will rejoice in God’s authority and victory. The fleeing serpent has been defeated. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

My husband has a phrase I remember often, he says, “Prevention is better than cure.” To prevent something means you have to prepare ahead of time. Prevention does not happen in now time and neither does cure. Prevention happens before time and cure happens after time.

Praying Psalm 56:3-4 this morning it says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word); In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”

This Psalm was penned by David, so the flesh he was speaking of was warriors wanting to kill him physically, not some word curse placed on him, but genuine life or death situations. And this man says, Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

The only way to trust God is to know God. We cannot decree when we are afraid fear not, as though it is some pixie dust that will remove all our fears. Trust is a preventative measure we take before we are afraid. So when something that is fearful comes, we have already been practicing trust.

Trust comes from knowing someone, spending time with them, getting to know how they respond in different situations, listening to their heart, watching their actions. If you spend little to no time with God in His word getting to know his nature and character, it will be hard to trust Him when you are afraid.

Trust is a preventative measure. Fear will come to even those who trust in God, but when it does come they have practiced trust in peace, so when fear comes they are not greatly moved, even though they are moved, for fear is a force we are all susceptible to.

I pray you spend time in God’s word getting to know God. Then when fear or something fearful comes, you are armed with trust in the God who can protect you from all harm. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Do you ever read a scripture and your experience does not match what it says? It is easy to say that is not true, or that does not apply to me. But what if we were reading it wrong, for the word of God is truth, so it must be right. This means we have something off in the way we think, rather than what the Word is actually saying.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the LORD; and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”

This is a promise that is powerful, but I do not know many people that can say, I am the righteousness of God and I have not been moved. Therefore, we would read this verse and say that is not true. Or we would preach it and say, you do not know you are righteous; you have not prayed enough; you are still holding onto something.

Okay maybe those are just statements that have been made to me over the years. But what if you have done everything you have been told and you still feel moved, you still know you are righteous but you cannot shake what you sense is moving you? Then what?

Well, this morning, I was reading this verse and the Holy Spirt whispered in my ear, “The righteous are like trees, they have roots, so they are not moved, but they also have leaves and when the wind blows the leaves shake, the branches sway.”

Our situations can make us feel like we are being moved, but we are not moved, we still believe in Jesus, we still love people, we still pray, so why do we feel moved? Because the winds of adversity are blowing, the leaves are falling, the branches are breaking, but God says, “You are the righteous, you are not moved; cast your burdens on me. I got you!”

Friends, everyone one of us gets shaken, but the covenant we are in with Christ makes us unmovable. Not because we don’t shake, break and lose leaves, but because He is a covenant keeper and He never changes His mind about us. We are unmovable, for He is not moving. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Sports have a way of teaching you life lessons, if you are a learner. I have been playing pickleball for over a year now and I have learned so many things in the past year, playing this sport.

Pickleball is a multigenerational sport, it is no respecter of persons, age, size, weight, anyone can play, and the more you play, the more you learn. One of the first things I used to do is smash the ball, almost every time. I thought my physical strength was the way to win.

Now that I have played for a year now, I realize, the people who do not know how to play pickleball with strategy, play it with strength, but the professionals rely on short drop shots or dinks across the court to win. Strategy is key to winning in pickleball not smashing through strength.

I was playing the other day with two younger men, both of them played two of us older women and they played us with spinning serves and smashing balls. But myself and another seasoned woman, played them with soft consistent strategy. This through them off, for their strength could not beat our strategy.

Proverbs 24:5-6 says, “A wise man is more powerful than a strong man, and a man of knowledge than a man of might; for it is by wise guidance that you wage war, and the victory is due to the wealth of counselors.”

Friends, we are being invited to employ wisdom and gain knowledge as we learn in life. Strength does not win battles, wisdom and knowledge does. Your head is more powerful than your biceps and the older I get the more I realize this.

Oh I can smash the ball with the best of them on the court, but if I place the ball in the right place at the right time, the points rack up faster than if I just smash it. Plus, placement of the ball takes strategy, and you do not get known as a one trick pony in pickleball or life. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

When a people do not feel safe, they operate in survival mode. When survival has been the protection, safety does not feel safe, does not feel secure. Safety is scary to those who have learned to survive.

Survival is a gift from God to get us through a hard season, a challenging situation, and unexpected reality. But survival was never meant to be our lifelong reality. We were not made to survive, we were made to feel safe.

The challenge we face is we are more familiar with survival than we are with safety, so we create an eschatology that calls us to escape, rather than to feel safe on earth. We have been trained to believe heaven is the only safe place, so we survive earth, but never feel safe here.

This reality hinders our ability to see, hear or understand what God is doing in our lives. We push away gifts, we run off safe people, we deny we need anyone, because we don’t feel safe, we only know how to survive. Anxiety is a sign of not feeling safe; anger is an emotion that reveals a lack of safety; if we were honest our issue is a lack of feeling safe.

God is healing nations, of their survival mode, but we resist it, because we don’t know how to feel safe and we don’t trust anyone. This is why when we read in Isaiah 23 “The Lord has given a commandment against Canaan to destroy its strongholds.” And “Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the Lord; her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord to eat sufficiently and for fine clothing.” We struggle to believe it.

If you don’t feel safe you will never experience real prosperity, which is why 3 John says, “May you prosper even as your soul prospers.” We want money to feel safe, but money cannot create safety, the Holy Spirit is safety; Yahweh is safety; Jesus is safety. Our trust must be in Him to feel safe.

I am telling you, God is healing nations, prospering nations, making nations safe, for people need to feel safe, but we must repent of loving surviving and fearing safety. Safety is not our enemy it is our security. Safety is who God is. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org