Firstly, I want you to know today that you are loved, you are called, you are seen, and God is at work in your situation.
I believe that many of us have unintentionally gone into hiding in this past season. The pressure was so intense, the warfare so relentless, and the weariness so constant, that it seemed easier just to keep your head down and avoid trouble.
The LORD is calling you to come out of hiding.
He wants you to enter 2022 with fresh faith, contagious confidence and a holy boldness. He will give you blueprints for building your next stage....but these blueprints are only found in His presence. So seek Him, seek His face, seek His will.
With that in mind, I've also shared a new word I posted on social media recently.
Please forward this word to your friends! Encourage them to subscribe to the Elijah List right here: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
It's Time to Come Out of Hiding
Recently one morning, as I was praying about what to share, the Lord directed me to 1 Samuel 24. David had been on the run from King Saul who, because of his own jealousy and insecurity, was intent on killing him. In an attempt to avoid detection, David's life had been one of wandering in the wilderness and hiding in dark caves.
I sensed the Lord highlighting verse 8. Here we read this: "Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul..."
David came out of hiding and confronted that which he had been avoiding.
He stepped out and spoke up.
He made himself visible and vocal again.
Maybe recently you've been hiding. Perhaps the pressure became too much; you were overwhelmed with fear; you've been exhausted and empty; others have misunderstood or attacked you and you feel wounded and broken.
It could be, like David, others are jealous and insecure around you. They're threatened by your success, ability, and gifting. And so, they're intent on tearing you down.
It has caused you to withdraw away from everything and everyone. You've been running away from anything which feels like a threat. You've crawled into a corner and isolated yourself. Your voice has been silenced and your goal has been just to get through another day.
God is saying: "It's time to come out of hiding."
Proven Trustworthy in the Wilderness
Perhaps like David, you had a significant calling on your life. You had prophecies and promises spoken over you. Yet, you look at your current circumstances and your life is so far removed from what God has said. (Photo via Piqsels)
You were once an anointed, bold giant-killer with big dreams. Now you're a frightened fugitive, living a small and silent existence.
You have begun to doubt God's Word. "Maybe it was all wrong," you think to yourself. Or perhaps you've messed up and missed it. It makes no sense. Why would God speak such great things over you and bring you to a place as low as this?
God is saying: "It's time to come out of hiding."
Confront what you've been avoiding. Face up to your fears and your foes; His promises still stand; His Word is still true.
You have been formed and forged in adversity. You have been tested and proven trustworthy in the wilderness. You have been prepared through the pressure and developed dependence on the Lord in the darkness.
You needed the time away from the crowds and the noise. You weren't ready. But now it's time to step out and speak up – to become visible and vocal and to emerge from the cave and embrace the calling.
Look at what Saul says when he sees David: "I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands." (v. 20)
Others, including even your enemies, are more aware of the anointing and significant calling on your life than you currently are. As you find the courage to come out of hiding, your calling will be reaffirmed and your confidence will start to return.
It doesn't mean everything will happen instantly. But the dreams and desires in your heart will be reignited. You will begin to move forward towards your destiny. You will progress towards your purpose.
Isolation and obscurity were good for a season. The Lord used it to protect and prepare you. But that season has now ended. You were never supposed to live in the darkness or desert. You are anointed for and called to so much more.
It's time to come out of hiding.
"After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, 'David is in the Desert of En Gedi.' So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave." (1 Samuel 24:1-3)
"Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul..." (1 Samuel 24:8)
Blueprints for Building
I saw the Lord handing out scrolls to His people. They were 'BLUEPRINTS FOR BUILDING' – building for your future; building your business; building your ministry; building your family; building your relationships; building His Kingdom. (Photo via Unsplash)
Some people were taking the scrolls, opening them, and studying them closely as they put them into action. Others were simply walking around with them but doing nothing with them – they were aimless and purposeless.
The Lord is giving specific instructions, detailed directions, precise plans, strategies for success and blueprints for blessing. But your future will depend on how closely you follow His revelation.
This is not a time for passivity or procrastination. It is a time to put into action what the Lord is telling you to do. It is a time to build, create, initiate, implement, shift, relocate, reorient, and reinvent.
Lean into the Spirit. Listen and write, then move and make.
The timid and fearful will say: "But what about the darkness? But what about the pandemic? But what about the restrictions? But what about the economy? But what about the government?"
But the Lord would say, "This is an opportune time, a kairos moment; take hold of it. Make bold moves. Go all in. Do not hold back any longer. Ignore the doubters. Silence the inner critic. Great faith will bring great favor."
Know that your God is with you, He is for you. Follow His blueprints for blessing.
"And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, 'Let us rise up and build.' Then they set their hands to this good work." (Nehemiah 2:18)
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2)
"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." (Ecclesiastes 11:4)
Whatever you do, don't miss another ELIJAH LIST email! Subscribe at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.
Craig Cooney
HOPE Church | Daily Prophetic
Email: contactdailyprophetic@gmail.com
Website: dailyprophetic.com
Craig Cooney has been in ordained ministry for 15 years, leading churches in the north and south of Ireland. He is married to Becky and they have a very active nine-year-old son called Elijah, as well as a labradoodle puppy called Henry. Craig is the author of four books: "The Tension of Transition," "SPIRIT SPEAK," "I Hear Yahweh," and "When the Lamb Roars." His passion is to help Believers to hear God's voice for themselves and apply God's wisdom as they navigate through the transitions of life.
Find us on:
* Facebook click here
* XAPiT click here
PLEASE FORWARD to all your friends! Permission granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep Elijah List website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.
Elijah List Publications
525 2nd Ave SW Suite 629
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250
Hi friend, 
