John Belt: "Let Him Take You Higher!
7 Key Areas of Growth in 2017"

From the desk of Steve Shultz:

My friend John Belt gets right to the point in his word for 2017 "7 key areas for growth in 2017." I found myself refreshed as I read through these keys for the new year and I bet you will to!

John Belt shares that this is going to be a year of saturation:

This is going to be a year of saturation and impartation of the Holy Spirit. It's time to get SATURATED! Don't take a sip, go for the guzzle! Drink well of the Holy Spirit. Welcome the Holy Spirit. Don't be casual, but be intentional about being radical for God's Spirit to saturate your life.

Let God do an amazing work in you and through you this year...be blessed by my friend John's word! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List go here.)

1. Rest & Refreshing

"For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: 'So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,'' although the works were finished from the foundation of the world… There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." Hebrews 4:3,9-10

2017 is going to be a time for rest and refreshing in the presence of God. That is good news! God wants to take His people to another level of rest. When we rest from our own striving we enter into place of faith in the finished work of Christ. Jesus died so that we could enter into the rest that He has provided saying, "Come unto Me all you who are weary and heavenly laded and I will give you rest..." (Matthew 11:28)

An amazing statement is that "the works were finished from the foundation of the world." God finished the work a long time ago. What is that work? It is the word of our salvation, our walk, our life and everything that concerns us. When we choose Him to be our Source and Help every day then we can enter into that finished work that He has accomplished. This is the essentiality of living in the presence of God. Find that rest today by taking time to just commune with the Holy Spirit as He is your source of life and strength.

2. Saturation & Impartation of the Holy Spirit

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5:18-21)

This is going to be a year of saturation and impartation of the Holy Spirit. It's time to get SATURATED! Don't take a sip, go for the guzzle! Drink well of the Holy Spirit. Welcome the Holy Spirit. Don't be casual, but be intentional about being radical for God's Spirit to saturate your life.

Jesus made a statement that is profound and something we need to pay close attention to. After He was resurrected from the dead He spoke to His disciples saying, "Go and wait in Jerusalem until you receive power from on high" (Luke 24:49). He was telling His disciples not to try to do things in their own flesh, but to wait. Have you ever noticed that waiting can really be the "hardest part"? People typically don't like to wait. Jesus was making the point that apart from Him we can do nothing. Our dependency upon the Lord is crucial for us to have "overflow" in our lives. God wants us saturated in His glory. (Photo via Pixabay)

The Lord gave me a vision of the Holy Spirit saturating people this year and how it was spreading to others. There was impartation from one person to another. When God floods our lives there is an overflow that passes from one person to another. Religion and bad teaching has made people believe they have nothing to give. Even when someone may be filled with the Spirit, experiencing this overflow, they don't release what they have.

When God pours into you His manifested tangible presence. Believe that you have something to give. Don't be shut down by the tentacles of religion. Find freedom in faith knowing that God's presence and glory is in you and is "transferable."

3. A Year of Running Faster & Climbing Higher

"Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." Romans 16:17-20

A few weeks ago the Lord showed me that as we run faster and climb higher the enemy is neutralized. In this dream I was running out into this wide open field, I saw this tiger coming out after me. I outran it and quickly climbed this tall tree. The tiger tried to come up but I kicked it down with the bottom of my foot. It fell down hard on a branch below. Then tried to come up again.

Once it got to where I was it had been declawed and tamed by a woman who suddenly appeared in the tree. The tiger had been neutralized because of the height and level of glory. The woman represented the Holy Spirit. There is something called a "snake line" where snakes cannot exist. As we pursue the Lord, running faster and climbing higher in His Presence, the enemy will be made of no effect.

This is a beautiful picture of how we are seated in the heavenly places with Christ, and that the enemy is under our feet. The passionate pursuit of God will also deliver you from the religious mind-sets that attempt to bind and hinder you. Find freedom and victory as you move into a powerful place of pursuit in the Holy Spirit. Find the high places of the Holy Spirit!

4. Restored Authority to Believers

"Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.' And He said to them, 'I saw satan fall like lightning from Heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.'" Luke 10:17-20

It is time for "restored authority" for Believers. I say specifically Believers because if you don't believe it will not happen. Faith is the foundation for our authority. Believing the words of Jesus, the Word of God is essential for our faith to be alive and active.

God wants to release His people from condemnation, fear and shame. These are the foes of authority. They keep people hampered down in a place of guilt. Realize the power of the Blood of Jesus. One drop of the Blood of Jesus eradicates condemnation, guilt, fear and shame. Confess, repent and be restored to your rightful place of authority. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Much of what people experience is "false guilt" for things that have been forgiven of a long time ago. Give glory to God by magnifying the Blood of Jesus and the power that abides here. Realize that His Blood is much more powerful than your past. Receive His forgiveness, be restored and move into the will of God for your life.

As Believers, He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. The enemy is under our feet. The peace of God is the place from which Jesus functioned in the anointing. He, being the Prince of Peace, destroyed the works of the devil out of that place of peace.

Recognize how important it is for you to walk in the peace of God. This is a key to your authority in Christ. Be awakened and receive the authority that Jesus has given you as a son of God. Have faith, confidence assurance and authority in the Lord to "TRAMPLE" on serpents, scorpions and all of the power of the enemy realizing that NOTHING shall BY ANY MEANS harm you!

5. Davidic Revelation

This year will have a restoration of Davidic Revelation. The Lord began to impress on me to note the value that He has placed upon the life of David. Not the value that He HAD placed, but that He places on the life of David.

Take note that there is a "Key of David", A "Tabernacle of David" and "the Throne of David" that God has chosen to honor David with. David wrote the majority of the Psalms, he was a king, a warrior, a prophet (see the Book of Acts) and obviously a psalmist. The last mentioned being the foundation for all the rest. If David has not been a true worshiper of the Lord then all the rest would not have happened.

• The Key of David

"And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." Revelation 3:7

 

Here we see the power of the "Key of David", how Jesus holds this key. AMAZING! How would you like the Son of God to hold a key with your name on it? The power of this key is to open doors that cannot be shut and to shut doors that cannot be opened—a very powerful key.

A few years ago I had an encounter with a "Breakthrough Angel." This angel told me that more than all the prayers, decrees and other stuff we can do, WORSHIP was the most powerful weapon because it drew the angels of God activating them to bring breakthrough. David was a worshiper that knew God in the most intimate of ways. I believe this is why so much honor is given to his life in the Bible. This is the same David that said, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water." (2 Samuel 5:20)

Open doors and discover breakthrough with the Key of David in worship!

• The Tabernacle of David

"On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old." Amos 9:11

Again we see the "Tabernacle of David" valued by the Lord, and His desire to restore it in our day. This is the house of worship and prayer. We see this parallel in our personal lives of devotion and in the corporate expression. We are God's house, both individually and together. Don't you know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit? God wants to "tabernacle" inside of us both individually, and as the Body of Christ. We cannot have one without the other and see the fullness of what God wants to pour out. It has to be BOTH! One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 133:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.." Psalm 133:1-3

• The Throne of David

"Of the increase of His government and Peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David And over His Kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Isaiah 9:7 (Photo via Flickr)

We have seen the Key of David, the Tabernacle of David and now we see "The Throne of David"! God is making a statement here. Here we have Jesus Christ establishing His Kingdom on the Throne of David. How amazing is this? What is the Lord speaking through this? Why the Throne of David? Again, it is the heart of David. The man after God's own heart that God has said, "This is where I'm going to establish My Kingdom!"

What we see is God's decree that He will INCREASE His government and PEACE and there will be NO END, that He will order and establish it with judgment and justice forevermore. This is an increase in His Kingdom expansion where the glory of His Kingdom will go forth throughout the earth without end. All of this being established with the "Heart of David" being central to all of this happening.

6. Miracles

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them." Matthew 4:23-24

Over the last 6 months "miracles" have continued to be an emphasis and will be on the increase. God will be "mentoring people in miracles". There will be fresh teaching, understanding and learning concerning how to work miracles. Just a note, Jesus said, "You go heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead..." (see Matthew 10:8). He was not afraid to put us in the position of being the ones who healed and delivered. We all understand that it is His power and the point is to give Him ALL THE GLORY!

There will be a restoration of training in miracles in a greater scale. In this passage above we see a 3-fold pattern where Jesus taught, then He preached and then He demonstrated the miracles. This year we can embrace miracles at a whole new fresh level as to teach, preach (decree, proclaim and speak forth) and demonstrate the power of God.

7. Life Restored (The Color Green)

"Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for
the sheep.'" John 10:7-11

This is a year where "Abundant Life" will be manifested! I had a dream recently where Lorne Green came to me and had black hair. If you remember the father in Bonanza that was Lorne Green. In this dream he was a mentor in miracles. I asked him where most of his miracles happen, but he did not respond. (Photo via Pexels)

Everything about the name Lorne Green is connected to the color green. The meaning of Lorne essentially means to be "crowned with life!" This speaks of authority to release life.

Definition of Lorne: Means "crowned with laurels" – an aromatic evergreen shrub related to the bay tree, several kinds of which form forests in tropical and warm countries.

The last name Green seems simple enough. But I was amazed once I began to look at the definition of "green."
Definition of Green: Color Meaning, the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. Green is also traditionally associated with money and finances.

God has called us to live in the fullness of miraculous life to the overflow with more than enough in every area of spirit, soul and body. This is a call to miracle authority and power in every area. God has called us to prosper in every way. When we look up the word for abundance there is nothing "half-hearted" about it. It is excessive! Are you ready for an excessive life in the Lord? Let it be on earth as it is in Heaven!

The word in the Greek for the word "abundant" used in John 10:10 is g4053, περισσός perissos. This word means: in the sense of beyond, superabundant, superior, excessive, preeminence, exceeding abundantly above, more abundantly, advantage, exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, vehement(-ly).

God is calling us higher in 2017 in every way. Let us say YES to Him and to the blessing of God upon our lives as He loads us daily with His benefits!

"Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Selah." Psalm 68:19 (To Subscribe to the Elijah List go here.)

John and Brandi Belt
Overflow Global Ministries
Email: office@overflowglobal.com
Website: www.overflowglobal.com

Overflow Global Ministries is the ministry of John and Brandi Belt. The heart of their message is that God's greatest desire is to indwell His people with His presence. They believe that man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. This overflow translates into touching the lives of others through living encounters with God. When John and Brandi minister, the intimate presence of God is manifest - being accompanied with demonstrations of God's power to heal, revive, and restore.

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