From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Sometimes, we need words to "revive us" again, especially after a hard, dry season. This is one such word by Ryan Wyatt that will not only help revive and excite you again, but for you to know that what you've walked through IS NOT IN VAIN! I like what Ryan shares here: It's time to hear the fresh sound from Heaven and begin to birth it in prayer with a fresh sense of hope and expectancy.
Let's have that "expectancy" again and be ready for "the sound of abundance of rain" as Elijah was—he saw it coming, he was expecting...
First, here are a couple of great prophetic resources to go along with this word:
Ryan Wyatt:
It's Time to Birth Your Future
In my last writing, I talked about the necessity in this time to Turn Aside Into the Flame of God. If you missed reading that article click here to read it on the ElijahList. It is a key word for the Body of Christ right now. I want to follow up today with a continuation of that timely word.
God has been speaking to me about this being a season of germination or birthing of the things we have been contending for in the last season. As Believers, we are the birthing agents of the promises of God. Most everything God does in the earthly sphere, He will do through His people. There is a process that He takes us through in order to birth things from the Heavenly realm into the natural, earthly realm. It all starts with "a seed." God comes to us at different times in our lives and He "overshadows" us in some way. Sometimes it comes as a prophetic word. Sometimes it comes in a moment of intimate worship. However it comes, God's glory comes upon you and implants a seed of destiny and promise within you.
Within that seed is the full potential of your entire future! Within the seed of an oak tree is the entire potential of that tree. You could say that the full oak tree already exists within that seed. All that seed needs is to go through a process of time and be nurtured properly and then the time will come for that seed to break forth, or germinate, and begin to show signs of its future coming into visible reality.
The Process of Incubation
We could also use the analogy of a baby being conceived. A seed is planted and then there is a season where the seed is incubated and nurtured. Then the day comes for that baby to be born! The process many in the Body of Christ has been going through in the last season is the process of incubation or pregnancy. This is a season of great stretching and testing. You know you have a dream, a purpose, a destiny from God, but you see no visible fruit of it in your life. Instead, you find yourself being tested in every way and going through all sorts of tribulation.
Here is a key of the Kingdom for you today: God always plants seeds of incredible destiny into people who are nowhere near the person they need to be in order to actually fulfill that destiny at that moment when the seed is planted. God plants something in you that is so much bigger than who you currently are.
Joseph was given a true dream from God and suddenly he was cast into a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery, bound as a servant, accused of something he did not do, and went through years of testing before one day his day of destiny was upon him and God "revealed" him as a leader throughout the entire nation of Egypt! God gave Joseph a dream and in that moment something was conceived within him. A seed of divine destiny was planted. However, immediately God thrust Joseph into a turbulent season where he would be tested and transformed into the person he needed to be in order to fulfill this great destiny.
Many of you reading this can relate to this because this is exactly where you have been for years! I'm here today to tell you that the last season of your life was not in vain. You may have looked around and felt like there were no signs of destiny forming anywhere around you, but massive Kingdom growth has been happening in your life. It's been taking place within you! As you've gone through the fire, God has been shaping and forming you like a master potter. When you've been going through such a season of refinement, it can be very easy to lose hope and expectancy for your future to be born.
Destiny is At Hand
I want to tell you today that your destiny and your future are closer at hand today than ever before! It is time to put all lack of hope and expectation aside and make a decision today that you are going to believe in God and believe in your glorious future more than you ever have in your life. It is closer than ever before!
God has really been speaking to me recently about some things that we can do right now in this season to posture ourselves for this fresh release and birthing of those seeds that have been incubating within us for so long. God spoke to me from the story of Elijah on the mount of Carmel in 1 Kings 18:41-46:
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the Heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Now read carefully because I want to give you some keys to birthing your future destiny right now in this season. It is so important that you understand here that there had been a severe drought in that land for three years! God remedied the situation by finding a man that believed in him. The Bible says that Elijah heard the sound of the abundance of rain. Some Bible versions say that Elijah heard the sound of a roar of a heavy shower! There was not one drop of rain in the natural. Elijah didn't see or hear anything in the natural that would cause him to believe for rain in the midst of a severe drought. Elijah heard the sound of abundance of rain in the spirit. He picked up on the heart of God—that it was time for the rain to be released.
What did Elijah do? Elijah realized that if God revealed a sound to him from the spirit, then God was wanting him to partner with Heaven to see it released. Elijah immediately went into a "birthing position" and began to call on Heaven and decree rain in the land. He did not give up when he didn't see any sign after a little bit of contending. Elijah sent his servant six times to look for a cloud and there was none. Even after all that contending, Elijah did not waver about what he heard in the spirit. He sent his servant a seventh time and he saw a cloud the size of a man's hand in the sky.
Don't Lose Your Expectancy
There are some valuable lessons we can learn here. When you get a promise from God, don't give up! Don't lose your expectancy for its birth and release! God spoke so clearly to me recently and said that it is time to assume a fresh birthing position and to begin to believe again that what He has prophesied will indeed come to pass. We are to co-labor with God to see His promises birthed from the spirit realm into the natural realm. Elijah saw a tiny little cloud that looked no bigger than the size of a man's hand and he believed that was the beginning of the promised release from Heaven.
What happened next is one of the biggest keys of this article and one of the biggest secrets to advancing into your next season with God. The Bible says that Elijah told his servant to go tell Ahab to get on his chariots and get his horses running full steam down the mountain so that the abundance of rain did not stop him from getting down. Elijah had only seen a little token of God's promise but he believed with incredible faith that the heavens were about to bust open and release the fullness and Elijah decreed and acted accordingly. Just as the prophesied release was coming upon him. Just as the heavens were opening and forming the clouds of outpouring, Elijah did something so important. Supernatural power and acceleration were about to come on Elijah like never before. So much supernatural power was going to come upon Elijah that he was going to outrun Ahab and his chariot of horses, on foot!
Here is the key! Just as this power and acceleration and the prophesied release was coming upon Elijah, it says that he girded up his loins. Now at first reading, this doesn't seem to be significant, but it really is huge. The Lord spoke to me not too long ago and gave me a word for the Church. He said, "I love you, but it's time to gird up your loins. In the past season of your life I allowed you to live a certain way and act a certain way, however, if you continue living in this new season like you have in the last season, you will not make it or advance. It's time to gird up your loins!"
When Elijah girded up his loins, it means that he reached down and pulled up his robe so that nothing would hinder him in this new season of running with supernatural power and acceleration. Elijah heard a sound that conceived and planted a seed within him. He began to co-labor with God and birth the seed. As the birth of the seed was taking place, Elijah had to change some things in order to advance into the next season.
Hear the Fresh Sound
This is a word for the Body of Christ today. It's time to hear the fresh sound from Heaven and begin to birth it in prayer with a fresh sense of hope and expectancy. It's time to decree the fullness of what God has prophesied. It is also time for us to gird up our loins. We can't live in the season of the birth of the seed like we did when we were incubating the seed. God is calling us higher! It's time to remove all those things from our lives that would hinder us from advancement.
I hear the Lord saying that He is simplifying the lives of His people. He is releasing fresh assignments in this time that are different from your last assignment. Tune in to the voice of God because so many people are continuing on with an old assignment because they didn't sense the shifting in the wind. This doesn't mean that we are to abandon the work that the Lord has had us doing. This simply means that for each season of your life, there are priorities that the Lord gives you for that season. It's time to tune in and receive the priority assignment from Heaven for this very season of your life and then begin to gird up your loins and make the adjustments necessary in order to run with efficiency and focus into your next level in God!
My last article was about turning aside into the flame of God and allowing Him to cause your heart to burn again! Once you turn aside and begin to burn again, God is going to speak fresh things to you for this time. Gird up your loins. Receive fresh focus from Heaven for this season. Reprioritize your life. Simplify your focus and receive fresh wind to advance into the divine purposes of God!
Kingdom Blessings!
Ryan Wyatt
Abiding Glory Ministries
Email: info@abidingglory.com
