It's truly a time to sow into and help raise up godly sons and daughters in the Body Christ...as this is our heavenly mandate as spiritual fathers and mothers to pour into them!
By the way, if you've never received a Father's blessing, I encourage you to read all the way through and receive what Joey LeTourneau shares in his word! This is one of those life-changing words to move you forward in what your heavenly Father has for you. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers..." (Malachi 4:5-6)
Much has been written about this verse, and though it's part of a collection of life verses of mine, this writing is less about sharing something new and much more about why and how this passage is a living picture of two wires being reconnected to generate (which is a key word) power into the worldwide awakening many of us are waiting for.
Generate and Generational
Generate and generational – two very similar words in root with two different meanings, yet I believe they come together in Malachi 4:5-6.
To generate power is to create or produce through natural process, while generations or "generational" speaks to multiple generations of ages of people born in different time periods.
I believe we are in a now moment where these two words come together. We are in a time where the coming together of generations to fulfill one another will create a spark and generate a powerful surge of fresh awakening that no one generation of people could start on their own. There are different movements and gifts among different generations, and each contains special ingredients for revival, but they need one another.
Honor Over Fear
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..." (1 John 4:18)
It's way too easy to fear others who are different from us. For example, if you simply generalize two generations that are next to one another, it might be easy for the previous generation to fear losing their place and all they sowed and built for years to a new, different move that challenges their understanding. And at the same time, it could be easy for the arising generation to fear being held down or controlled as they bring something new or perhaps misunderstood to the table.
Turning our hearts toward someone else is about honor. Honoring someone else, especially someone different than what we know, doesn't always mean that we will have understanding, but it does mean that we have eyes to see something good, something "God" inside of others. I may not always agree with or understand how or why, but I simply turn myself toward that good/God part that is arriving on the scene for such a time as this. (Photo via Pixabay)
A True Father
"Now this is the testimony of John... He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ... It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal I am not worthy to loose...' Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus." (John 1:19, 20, 27, 35-37)
John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah, was to me a true Father in the way that he knew how to honor those new, unexpected things of God. He was someone who gave life to a new generation of God's heart and image, who supported and empowered those who came after him.
John was called (by Jesus) the greatest man born of woman, and I believe it's because John never made it about himself. His job wasn't to hold the reigns or protect his position; his job was to prepare the way until the moment came that he would turn toward the new One rising, point at Him, and literally tell his own followers to follow Jesus now instead. John didn't point to what he was doing, He pointed to what the Father was doing. That's easier said than done, which is why it has such an opportunity to generate such life to flow into this world.
You may have heard the statement, "My ceiling becomes your floor," but picture the reality of that in a building. What if everything you built was now to be a foundation, as the ceiling of your apartment or office was to be the floor of the one called to the space just above you. You can't see what they're doing, and therefore you may not understand it, nor can you control it, but that person couldn't live or operate in this space if it was not being built upon the firm foundation of your space.
Instead of being threatened by the new that is built upon what we have, we must realize that everything in our space is actually fulfilled by the new things being built upon it. We are not competing with one another, but we are being fulfilled by one another. Jesus didn't come to abolish the old covenant, but to see it fulfilled.
The Father's Blessing
"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham..." (Genesis 28:3-4)
The Father's blessing over Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (and beyond) is key for this kind of generational empowerment. With so many of us searching and striving for significance – even in Kingdom ways – the Father's blessing reaches down inside of us to almost flip a switch and set us free by telling us, "You are already approved."
22 years ago I received a Father's blessing for my 16th birthday that changed my life. One of the more memorable quotes from my dad was this: "I hope you never believe that just because you're not like me in every area of life that I think you're a lesser person – that's a common belief among sons of type-A dads. In fact, I believe the best hope for the LeTourneau name lies in the very ways that you are different from me."
At the time I didn't know how revolutionary of a statement this was. Sometimes it can be difficult to bless others, period, let alone bless their differences for fear of what might happen. And I found out later that my dad had those fears.
One night around 1 a.m., six months after that blessing, I burst through my parents door, woke them up and said, "I know I'm supposed to start walking in full-time ministry." What I didn't know was that when I left the room my dad rolled back over and wept. You see, we were a missionary family living by faith and my dad often feared that I would grow up and resent the lifestyle they raised us in. Usually when we have those fears, the last thing we do is bless someone so freely as my dad did me, but that's that generational spark of revival; that generational spark of letting go of control and empowering someone or a generation of someones to be and fulfill every purpose they were created for, no matter how different they might seem. It lets go and trusts God.
We have seen powerful fruit, beyond what we know, arise from carrying this "Father's Blessing" to all aspects of the world, both in the nations and society. It's honoring and empowering for someone to say, "You are valued, you are loved, you have purpose, and I believe in you!" It frees a person or a generation to live from those truths rather than for them. (Photo via Pixabay)
A Two-Way Blessing
The Father's blessing does not just have to go from an older generation to a younger one. This part is VERY needed and vital, however, there are too many of our fathers and mothers who never got to receive such a Father's blessing of their own. It's very difficult to give something that you never received. That's why we find it equally important to go to our fathers and mothers and offer them the same words of fulfillment, of purpose, love, life and validation.
That 16th year of my life after the blessing was revolutionary in my heart and walk with the Lord. And three weeks before my 17th birthday, just days before my dad left for a trip to Vietnam, I was privileged amid a group of intercessors to sit with my dad hand in hand, almost like brothers this time, and offer him similar words of unconditional fulfillment for who he was to me, to others and before God. We wept and wept and felt this generational spark or surge birth something new to life!
It was only one week later that we learned my dad had passed away in Vietnam on that trip, but not before we got to live out Malachi 4:5-6 in both directions. Something happened that day – or year for that matter – which is still causing awakening today.
If you have never received this blessing from an earthly parent or spiritual parent, I offer you this now:
I bless you for who you are, for who God created you to be. There is no one who compares to the unique piece of God's heart that you carry. I bless you to fulfill every purpose and dream God has placed inside you, to be fruitful and multiply. You are valued for who you are, not for what you have or earn. You are loved because you are a true son or daughter of God and have an important place in the family. You have special purpose that no one else has. We believe in you, and as you continue to abide in Him, not one of your purposes will fall to the ground. We are thankful for who you are in the family of God.
Fulfilled
Never more than in these past few months have I felt this Malachi 4:5-6 passage ready to be lived out on a worldwide scale. It will generate the power we are looking for in our lives, in our families, in our communities, cultures and in the world. We are ripe for this turning of hearts toward one another, without fear, but freely fulfilling one another to fulfill the Word of God in the world today – together! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Joey LeTourneau
Heavenly Hope Ministries
Email: joey.letourneau@gmail.com
Website: www.culturepurple.com
Joey LeTourneau, his wife Destiny, and their six children are based in the hills of central California. They have lived and traveled all over the world looking to unearth the treasures God has hidden in people, places and new possibilities. Joey is the author of seven books and together they speak, train and empower others to see God's worldwide family restored one heart at a time.
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As a father, I'm really excited about the next generation God is raising up...and you should be too!
