Recently I've been stirred about God's healing mandate for our time. I found myself inquiring and crying out, "How can we position ourselves for this mandate?" In response, God highlighted two prophets: Habakkuk and John the Baptist.
Prophets both have a message and are a message. Habakkuk and John the Baptist prophesy to us today through their words and their lives. They are men of faith, cheering us on from the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1).
Habakkuk's Mandate
Habakkuk called forth God's mandate for his generation by fixing his eyes on God's past supernatural deliverance. Grieved at the lack of faith in Israel, he cried out, "LORD, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2, NIV).
Habakkuk chapter 3 goes on to recount God's dramatic deliverance of Israel as they came out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Habakkuk's description of God's appearance and deliverance is so dramatic, it was as if he was there, watching the whole scene unfold. For Habakkuk, the past deliverance out of Egypt prophesied future deliverance. Seeing and meditating on the past event ignited an intense intercessory cry within him. Let's not forget that the deliverance from Egypt included a profound revelation of God as healer, and a profound demonstration of that healing (Exodus 15:26).
Habakkuk looked back to the deliverance from Egypt. We look back to Jesus' supernatural ministry. Habakkuk looked back to Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. We look back to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. By the Spirit, Habakkuk was enabled to see the deliverance from Egypt. By the same Spirit, we are enabled to see Jesus' supernatural ministry. The 'seeing' ignites an intense intercessory cry. Israel's deliverance from Egypt and Jesus' supernatural ministry are not just historical events, they are prophetic promises for future generations. (Photo via Pixabay)
John the Baptist's Mandate
Like Habakkuk, John the Baptist called forth God's mandate for his generation. John the Baptist did this with his gaze fixed firmly on the future. He knew that his job was to prepare the way for Jesus—the One who would usher in a new era.
John the Baptist was a seer, and he had seen an era in which everyday people would encounter God in a previously unknown and unheard of measure. What he saw was made plain in his words to his generation: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11, NKJV).
John the Baptist saw Pentecost! He knew who Jesus was, declaring Him as "mightier than I," but he was specifically focused on that which Jesus would do—baptize people "with the Holy Spirit and fire."
Later, when John the Baptist was in prison, he inquired of Jesus, "...'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" (Matthew 11:3, NKJV). Jesus sent a message back to John the Baptist: "...'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me'" (Matthew 11:4-6, NKJV).
Jesus' dramatic healing ministry was truly awe-inspiring, but it wasn't the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire that John the Baptist had seen. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire didn't happen until after Jesus was glorified and seated on His heavenly throne. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire had the dramatic result of empowering everyday Believers to walk in the same authority that Jesus walked in! Through this army of baptized Believers, Jesus' healing ministry would be multiplied over and over again.
When Jesus heard John the Baptist's inquiry He immediately reassured him. In essence He said, "John, I know you have seen the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. It truly is glorious. It's not here in fullness yet, but in the meantime, focus on that which I am doing right now. The way is being prepared, and that which you have seen is definitely coming. Don't be offended with Me, John. My ways and My timings are often quite different than expected." (Photo via Pixabay)
In John the Baptist's final days he was able to rejoice in Jesus' supernatural ministry and call forth the fullness of the coming baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. This focus ignited the same intercession within John the Baptist that Habakkuk had experienced when he looked back to Israel's deliverance from Egypt.
Three Keys to Positioning Ourselves for God's Healing Mandate
Let's fast forward to our day. How can we position ourselves for God's healing mandate in our time? There are three important keys:
1. Look back to that which God has done in the past. God's past actions prophesy to future generations.
2. Look forward to that which God has promised for the days ahead.
3. Look into the spirit realm and see what God is doing right now.
Doing these three things will ignite a radical intercessory cry. Failing to do these three things inevitably leads to frustration, discouragement and even becoming offended with God. Discouragement leads to doubt and unbelief. Faith, on the other hand, sees with spiritual eyes and calls forth God's promises for today.
Recently God spoke to me: "Do not say it is hard to get people healed! Do not say it is hard to get people saved!" Instead, we need to look into the spirit realm and see what God has done, is doing, and will do.
When God spoke to me, I was amazed at the intense jealousy of His heart for people to be both healed and saved. The healing mandate for our generation is radical beyond words. Let's position ourselves for it, right now.
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Nathan Shaw
Heart of David Ministries
Email:Â fireanddestiny@slingshot.co.nz
Website:Â www.heartofdavidministries.org
Nathan Shaw helps bring individuals and churches into dynamic encounters with God's indescribable love. Over the last twenty years he has been instrumental in ushering in significant moves of the Spirit in over ten different nations. Many have experienced life-changing prophetic encounters and dramatic visitations from God. Nathan is the author of two books: Passion and Fire and Unto the Least of These. Nathan is senior pastor at Fire and Destiny Centre, Dunedin and Celebration Church, Mosgiel.
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