Month: July 2019

Gentle Breeze of Transition Before the Storm of Change

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If you have ever been in a place where you can feel in the atmosphere the precipitation changing, you know more often than not, there is a gentle breeze that precedes the storm. The air starts to smell different; the clouds start rolling in, the trees start swaying just a little bit more. It is like a symphony playing the first lines of their song, before they hit the crescendo. It’s like the song that builds up to the chorus which carries you through the rest of the song. Nature has a way of revealing to us what is coming and just like nature so does God, He reveals in the gentle breeze of transition that a storm of change is on the horizon. For those who are awake, they can see it all around them, they can smell it in the air. Transition is happening and many people are struggling with the gentle breeze of transition, not knowing this is nothing compared to the storm of change that is just around the corner.

I have listened to those around me, online, on television and on the radio the sounds of the gentle breeze of transition are everywhere. Circumstances are shifting and it is causing many to be drifting. Those who we thought would stand, are struggling. Many who have said all the right things are finding themselves to not be who they thought they were or who others thought they were. The gentle breeze is blowing and straw houses are shaking and some are even falling. Can you see the gentle breeze of transition blowing, can you hear the gentle breeze of transition happening around the world? To some this gentle breeze of transition is a big deal, but it is just a gentle breeze. The storm of change has not arrived yet, but it is coming and coming quickly. Jesus said, “If they do this when the tree is green, what will they do when it is brown?” (Luke 23:31)

Believers in Jesus Christ, now is the time to do what you say and say what you mean. Now more than ever, we must be in the word of God daily, in worship continually and praying in the spirit on all occasions. Not for the sake of anyone else, but you. You do not need to get a prepper kit of food and water; you need to prepare yourself spiritually for a storm is on the horizon. A storm that is going to change everything for the better, but a storm nonetheless. Believers must exercise their authority in order to stand during the storm. Remember Moses stood in the midst of the Red Sea as the people crossed over (Exodus 14). He exercised his authority over the storm that sought to keep God’s people out of the promised land. Remember Jesus walked on the stormy water that was buffeting the boat of the disciples, the storm could not control Jesus, Jesus took control over the storm, but not until after he tried to show Peter how to do the same (Matthew 14:22-33). We are being invited to exercise our authority while there is no storm, so when the storm comes, we are prepared.

Being under authority, doing what someone else tells you to do, is a great way to exercise your authority. Lawlessness is what takes away your authority, while obedience increases your authority. If you are one that does not let anyone tell you what to do, you will not be able to stand in the storm. If you are not in obedience with the word of God you will not have authority in the storm. Anger is not authority. Remember the Centurion, he was a man under authority and was a man in authority and Jesus was impressed with his faith (Matthew 8:5-13). Remember Ruth, she told Naomi, where you go, I go…(Ruth 1:16-17). Obedience is the greatest way to exercise your authority and only through exercise will you get strong and be able to stand in the storm. We are experiencing the gentle breeze of transition, but the storm of change is coming and is closer than you realize. We, the body of Christ need to exercise our authority so we don’t get lost in the storm.

Exercise Your Authority

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While in prayer this morning, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Tell them, exercise your authority!” As I began to think about this, the first thought I had was to the Greek class I took, for the word authority in the Greek is εξουσία and to remember this Greek word, I remember saying, exercise authority. This play on words, God used to speak to me this morning, saying, “Tell them, exercise your authority!” So, I say to you, what the Lord said to me, “Exercise your authority!”

Exercise your authority is the decree from heaven, but the process to this begins with identity. Have you wondered why the narrative of the church has been identity? It is because we need to know our identity in order to exercise authority. When we don’t know who we are, we get frustrated and the enemy offers us counterfeit authority, which is anger, as our modus operandi. Let’s take parents for a minute as an example. Parents have been given authority over their children (Ephesisans 6; Colossians 3; Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5), but if parents don’t exercise their authority, they will use the counterfeit which is anger to get done what they want done. Knowing who you are, identity, is the first step to exercising authority.

The understanding of who you are, as created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and exercising the authority you have been given for being created in that image (Genesis 1:27-28) is critical for your success. The enemy knows this, henceforth, why he attacks your identity, undercuts your confidence and causes you to become angry. The enemy’s goal is John 10:10 to steal, kill and destroy, his goal is destruction and that is why he wants you to embrace the counterfeit authority which is anger, for he knows anger is destructive by nature. However, God wants you to know who you are, identity, so you can be productive.

The key that unlocks productivity is identity through which we exercise authority. Proverbs 12:26-28 in the Passion Translation says, “Lovers of God give good advice to their friends, but the counsel of the wicked will lead them astray. A passive person won’t even complete a project, but a passionate person makes good use of his time, wealth and energy. Abundant life is discovered by walking in righteousness, but holding on to your anger leads to death.” Learn your identity, exercise your authority and walk into productivity.

Why is this important right now? Because as Chuck Pierce says frequently, we need a mindset shift for the harvest. The harvest mindset is different than other mindsets. Tim Sheets wrote a book on the New Era of Glory that we are entering and it is an era of harvest. Talk to any farmer, harvest means more work, not less. If you are not prepared to be productive, you will not reap the harvest. We must know who we are, so we can exercise our authority, in order to gather in the harvest. Ruth Ward Heflin has a book called Harvest Glory and this I believe is the era we are entering, an era of Harvest Glory. Rise up church, the harvest is plentiful, Jesus said, but the workers are few. We need to know who we are, so we can exercise the authority we have been given and reap the harvest that is ripe and ready for our arrival. Exercise your authority!