Nate Johnston: "Have You Been Facing the Whirlwinds of Intimidation?"

From the Desks of Steve Shultz and Julie A. Smith:

Intimidation is one of the enemy's tactics to keep God's people from advancing in the Lord and what He's calling them to.

In these times, we have a choice to make...let the enemy continue taunting us, or boldly take a stand in our authority and move forward.

Nate Johnston gives key revelation in a dream he had of the enemy trying to intimidate God's people:

I believe that what the Lord was showing me in this dream was just to be watchful, to be vigilant and to be sober minded, because right now the enemy is trying to bring this spirit of intimidation to the Body of Christ in a critical moment of advancement. This intimidation comes from a 'lion' that is seeking to disassemble those whom God is launching, those whom God is building and those whom God is moving through in a powerful way.

God is so good to remind us ahead of time of the enemy's tactics and what to do about them. As you read the rest of Nate's word, you'll receive great wisdom in how to move ahead...and we'll give you this hint...use your ROAR! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

In Christ,

Steve Shultz and Julie A. Smith, Co-Editors
Elijah List Publications

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The other week, I had a dream where God spoke some significant things to me, audibly. This was the first thing I heard the Lord say: "Watch out for the spirit of intimidation that is coming in full force and surrounding the Body of Christ right now."

It reminded me of 1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

You see, the enemy is a counterfeit lion, and when he roars, it is to scare us into submission; it is to intimidate us so that we give up. And his tactic is to prowl around, surrounding us, or cornering us, so that we break down.

I believe that what the Lord was showing me in this dream was just to be watchful, to be vigilant and to be sober minded, because right now the enemy is trying to bring this spirit of intimidation to the Body of Christ in a critical moment of advancement. This intimidation comes from a 'lion' that is seeking to disassemble those whom God is launching, those whom God is building and those whom God is moving through in a powerful way.

When I think of the spirit of intimidation, I think of Goliath, who cornered God's people in the Valley of Elah in a critical moment of advancement. Goliath shouted taunts and mockery at God's people all day long to intimidate them and stop them in their track, and it worked. They stopped. They gave up. And worst of all, they began believing the things that Goliath was saying.

I Will Not Be Intimidated!

Then David entered the scene with his zeal for the Lord and the justice that he carried: "...For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:26). And we know what happened next: With one tiny stone, he revealed Goliath to be nothing more than just a counterfeit lion. He took Goliath down and cut off his head. Right now we need to do the same in the spirit. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Here are some of the ways that the spirit of intimidation works:

1. Intimidation comes at you through accusation and slander. That's where suddenly people are talking about you. They're belittling you. They're dragging your name through the mud.

2. Then there's mockery, where the enemy literally laughs at the things that God has you doing, and the way that you are doing them. It comes to try to psych you out of the methods or the ideas or the ways that God has been leading you in.

3. Another way that intimidation works is through fear and worry. Intimidation will try to tempt you and bait you into stepping into fear and worry. The enemy will parade before you many foreboding outcomes and situations to bait you into believing them, so that you'll entertain them and take your eyes off where God's leading you.

4. The last one is insecurity. This is where intimidation will cause you to begin to point that intimidating arrow inward to examine your own heart and life, triggering the issues that you're still walking through with the Lord.

Pressed on All Sides

The spirit of intimidation is trying to surround the Body of Christ right now. It's like a 'surround sound system' of chatter and noise. It's trying to bait the Body of Christ into becoming part of its symphony against the Body. Have you noticed that? But we need to be those, like David, who will say, "I see you, and I will not be baited by you!"

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 it says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." Let me ask you, are you facing this pressing on every side right now? Are you feeling surrounded? The phrase here that says "We are hard pressed" is the Greek word "thlibo." It means "to press," "afflict," "persecute" and "constrict." It means to literally "suffer tribulation" and "trouble." It's where the enemy plants affliction and discouragement on every single side of you, until you feel pressed. But the good news, my friends, is that it does not crush us. It does not defeat us.

Can You Hear My Roar All Around You?

The next part of the dream is what the Lord wants to say over you today. I heard the Lord say to me, "But, Nate, can you hear My roar all around you?"

Isn't that amazing? When we go through things like this, the enemy will want us to feel defenseless, powerless, or that God is not looking out for us. The only thing he wants us to hear is the the roar of chatter, the noise and the lies. But there is a roar unlike all others. It is the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. It is the roar that silences the roar of the enemy, so when we're facing this spirit, we can lean into the Lion. We can say, "Father, what does Your voice sound like today? What are You saying over me today?"

It's where you get off social media in those moments when it's just all-consuming, and you can feel the spirit of witchcraft just circling and trying to bait people into divisive talk. It's where you feel muzzled and silenced, and you just go, "You know what? I need to break out of this bombardment of noise. I need to get away. I need to just 'tuck away' and listen to the voice of the Lord." (Photo via Pixabay)

"They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west." (Hosea 11:10)

This is what happens when you listen to the roar of God's voice. In Amos 3:8 it says, "The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?" The fear of the enemy dissipates when you hear the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and it causes your spirit to come alive and prophesy.

Roar at the Enemy and the Troubles Around You

Right now, I believe that God is leading us into an awareness of His roar. This is a protective moment, where the Father is leading us into places and spaces that we've been praying and dreaming about for years. The enemy would so love to get our eyes and our ears off of Jesus and onto the things around us.

Let me encourage you today. If you have been facing the whirlwinds of intimidation, shut off your phone after this and lay on your living room floor. Put some worship on and simply say, "Father, let me hear Your voice. Let me hear Your roar surrounding me. Silence my adversary. Silence the accuser. Silence the lies. Disarm this intimidating spirit that's trying to bait me into something that I don't need to be distracted by right now. Deliver me from this tormenting spirit, in Jesus' name!"

You will become reacquainted with the voice of the Lion, your protector, your safe refuge. Watch as God begins to shift and realign what has been in chaos and a mess. I pray and prophesy this over you today, in Jesus' mighty name!

Now begin to ROAR at the things that are trying to intimidate you. Prophesy, shout, worship and let God's voice that's inside of you out; the enemy will RUN!

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Nate Johnston
Everyday Revivalists
Email: everydayrevivalists@gmail.com
Website: nateandchristy.co

Nate Johnston is a prophetic voice and worshiper who has a heart to see sons and daughters unleashed into passionate friendship with God and an effective supernatural lifestyle. Through his ministry school "Everyday Revivalists," he leads people from the basics of the Gospel through to being sent and released into their mission field, as well as championing and raising up emerging prophetic voices around the world. His burning cry and desire is to see the Body of Christ become a beacon for the lost by raising up a generation that walks in the love and power of God, representing Him well. Nate and his wife Christy have three daughters, Charlotte, Sophie, and Ava and live in Dallas, Texas.

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