Greetings on this first day of November. As I was sitting here pondering where to begin or what to share, Song of Solomon 2:11, 12 came to mind immediately. "Behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing is come..." That is how I feel this evening....as though a long, rainy, cold winter has given way to the new life of the next season. I stand amazed at what God can do with a heart!
This Intro to IHOP internship has been described as trying to drink from a fire hydrant and I think that is a completely accurate picture of my life right now. Our schedules remain packed and everywhere you turn there is more of the word spoken to you, written to you (I have a huge collection of notes from classes and church services full of scripture that will take me a year to really study out for myself already!) or being sung over you in the prayer room. Almost daily I am having a significant God encounter....those places where He just lifts up His voice in whatever manner He chooses that day that let's me know He is intricately involved with me, my heart and my life in this season.
There is so much I could try to share, but no way to even record all that is being touched in my heart these days. I do want to tell you that this past week was life changing...at least to this life! Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint...." This week God took opportunity daily to bring me further revelation of my identity in Him. With fuller revelation and understanding of what my function or assignment is within that identity, I just found a freedom rise up within me.....and somehow the winter I have been in for some time now, just gave way to spring!
Let me explain a bit. Many of you have heard the term "forerunner" before. For those who may not be familiar, it is a term used in the Bible to describe John the Baptist, as he prepared the way for Jesus and then also a description of Jesus Himself. A forerunner, by Websters, is simply one that precedes and indicates the approach of another. I have known for about 20 years that I was a forerunner, though I have had little understanding of what that really means. I only know I have been an odd one that seemed to see things coming or have some understanding before the general church population. This has mostly been an irritant, to be honest! You learn something in the word or the Holy Spirit shows you something and you excitedly try to share it with others...but you just get this deer in the headlights response. It took me some time, but I finally understood that it might not be time for everyone to be looking into what I was seeing/hearing. And this in no way is to imply that I thought I was better, smarter or more special than anyone else. I mean, seriously, God used a donkey to talk to Baalam and He says He uses the foolish things to confound the wise! The other major irritation of being a forerunner is that 5 or 10 years later those very same deer in the headlights people are now seeing/hearing what you were talking about....and they step into it and everyone thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread....and no one remembers that you even talked about such matters! And so you grow in humility!
This week God has downloaded to me a fuller understanding of a forerunner. It coincides with what I was seeing for myself here at IHOP-KC, which involved pouring into the younger generation here....those who will have to contend with what is coming to our nation and to the world in the years ahead. I was given this facet of a definition by one of our instructors this week, Craig Cook: "Forerunners prepare the way for the Lord by preparing people to respond rightly to Jesus in the End-Times by making known His plan and will. Forerunners are the "mercy strategy" of the Father." So just as John the Baptist went ahead of Jesus with His first coming, "indicating the approach of another", so God is raising up those messengers with the same calling to prepare the way for Jesus second coming to the earth.
Again, there is so much to this for me that would require me to write a small novel here to explain but it boils down to I received some clarification this week to my identity in Jesus and my destiny as I follow and obey Him. Though I do not know what this will all look like, I felt the focus or "restraint" that Proverbs 29 talked about. I feel very focused and settled, which is a huge relief from the wrestlings I have walked through with all the different facets of this move to KC! I am eager to put the time in the word and in His Presence that will be necessary to truly have the word of the Lord in me....thus it will be what comes out of me!
Thank you all for your prayers, your love and support during this transition. I would not have kept my head above water had it not been for you all! Do continue to pray that I have the stamina to finish out this intense schedule, with health and I am also needing to actively develop my partners team and need wisdom and favor for that. Do feel free to contact me with any prayer needs you might have; it would be my pleasure to pray! Blessings and grace to you all!
His
