In this season, God is pursuing us the way we long to be pursued. He is showcasing His love for us in intentional and personal ways. He is bringing connections that are unexpected but from His heart. He is bringing about swift and sudden breakthroughs, and He is intentionally shaping our characters to hold the promise. Take time to lean into His presence, move when He says "move," and be willing to push through challenges. He knows what He's doing!
God Pursues Us in the Way We Love to Be Pursued
"You have searched me, LORD, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways." (Psalm 139:1–3)
The Lord will use pretty much anything to get a point across to me. I remember one time when I (Katelyn) went on a date with a guy that was equal parts thoughtful and hilarious. This date was a brilliant blend of humor and intentionality.
I remember feeling so known and cared for by this one specific date, because aspects of it were so comedic and perfectly tailored to my sense of humor. Other people probably would've hated it, but it felt like me. I loved it simply because it felt tailor made for my quirkiness. After this date, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Katelyn, I pursue you in the ways you love to be pursued."
God knows us. He knows each of us more deeply and intimately than anyone on the planet. He knows our likes and our dislikes, our dreams and our desires, and what makes us come alive. He is going to showcase His love for each of us in a unique manner.
The way that God pursues me is going to be radically different from the way He pursues someone else. And this is because God intimately knows each one of us. It's easy to get caught up in comparison when you see someone else encountering the Lord in a way you haven't. Instead of comparing, ask God to meet you and show His love for you in a way that is unique to you. (Photo via Pexels)
Many years ago, I (Anne) found heart shaped rocks everywhere I went. I knew that God was communicating His love for me in nature. It was part of my language with God. God has a unique language He wants to share with you.
Now, the way He speaks will never contradict Scripture. Therefore, it's important to have a foundation of faith rooted in God's Word and biblical teaching. That said, God is highlighting the way He loves and speaks to you individually (in alignment with Scripture, of course).
If you've felt forgotten or overlooked and are longing for a fresh connection with God, ask Him to show you how He pursues you. Let Him surprise you! And be open to discovering a fresh connection with God. Be curious for the ways He shows up and take time to praise Him for the greatest way He's ever shown His love, by bringing Jesus.
Unlikely Connections
"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony..." (John 4:39)
Sometimes, God works in the most unlikely ways. There is a grace right now on new and unexpected connections. People you never would've connected with in a previous season will become dear friends and partners with what God is doing. For many, God is bringing about connections that may seem surprising or "out of left field" in order to highlight something to you. Perhaps these connections will teach you something, make you feel seen and known by God, or redirect you.
Do not overlook those whom you normally wouldn't relate with or want to get to know. Allow God to breathe life into new connections. Step outside of your norm and allow God to show you the beauty of all different kinds of people. Receive from others who also carry a piece of the Father's heart but who don't look like you. The disciples were a ragtag group of men who all looked different and came from different backgrounds, yet they were united in following Jesus. (Photo via Pixabay)
In fact, God is specifically using people who have been judged or ostracized in the past to bring about breakthrough and revelation for entire communities.
In John 4, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman at a well. Not only were Jewish people highly prejudiced towards Samaritans, but this woman was also ostracized by her own community because she'd been married five times. She was an outcast in every sense of the word. Yet when Jesus encountered her, He ministered so deeply to her heart that she recognized Him as the Messiah and told her whole village.
If you've been pressing into God for a breakthrough, perhaps the breakthrough will come in a way that's unexpected, even through someone you might overlook. Be willing to surrender your plans and agendas to Him. Open your heart up to connect with others outside of your norm.
Jesus brought breakthrough to the woman at the well, and she, in turn, led people to meet Jesus. The outcast woman whom no one wanted to be around was the woman holding the keys of healing for an entire city. Surrender your agenda and your preconceived ideas to God, and allow Him to connect you to the right people in this season.
A Sudden Breakthrough
"...I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly." (Isaiah 60:22)
You may have been praying, pressing in, and waiting a long time for certain things, but there will be a moment where breakthrough is suddenly at hand. Waiting seasons are preparation for the "and suddenly" moments. And many "and suddenly" moments are coming. In fact, God is bringing about massive shifts right now, and it's important to stay close to His presence so you can respond to these sudden movements! These "and sudden" moments will often require a rapid response from you.
If you've been waiting for your sudden breakthrough, do not lose heart or grow discouraged! It is time for significant shifts to happen, promises to come to pass, and prayers to be answered. This is a month of "and suddenly" moments. Whether you're in a sudden turnaround moment or contending for your breakthrough, steward your season well. And when it's time to run, run.
For many, breakthroughs are dependent on how well we steward the waiting season. For those who have been contending for a long time, get your hopes up! Turnarounds are coming. Hold fast to the promise and be ready to run quickly as God starts shifting things. And don't be afraid to move and move quickly when the Lord invites you to go.
Capacity for Your Promise
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3–5)
Sometimes, God gives you a promise or a word and then He puts you in circumstances that will develop that word in your life.
A few years ago, the Lord gave me a word: "I am expanding your capacity." The next thing I knew, I was in the hardest school year of my life. It was so challenging; I was tempted to quit every other day because I didn't think I could handle it. But the fact is, I did handle it. I didn't quit; I persevered. (Photo via Pexels)
At the end of that year, I was exhausted, but I realized how much my capacity had grown. Had you told me before then that I would have managed to complete everything I did that year, I wouldn't have believed you! The process was rough, but I grew.
Just because God gives you a word, it doesn't mean it will be perfectly easy sailing to walk it out. Rather, it might mean that God is going to put you in a situation where you are required to become the person who can carry out the promise. God gave Joseph a promise, and he spent years "training" in the worst circumstances: slavery and prison. However, these circumstances caused him to develop the skills and character necessary to lead a nation.
Just because your circumstances look like the opposite of God's promise doesn't mean He's not keeping His Word! Rather, God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
God will often give us a promise and then put us in scenarios where we have to wrestle with the promise, just as Jacob wrestled with God in order to gain His blessing (Genesis 32:22–32). God is intentional in the way He leads you, and He cares deeply about you stepping into the fullness of who you're meant to be, and sometimes that means putting you in an intentional training ground.
Therefore, hold onto hope and surrender to the process! You are becoming who God has called you to be. Trust that if God brought you to it, He will bring you through it, and this process will be worth it.
Declarations:
• God pursues me in the ways I love to be pursued.
• I am opening my heart up to unexpected connections.
• God is bringing about sudden and swift breakthroughs into my life.
• I accept challenges as ways for me to grow.
• God is increasing my capacity to hold His promise.
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Anne Jackson
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Texas-born Anne Jackson worked as a nurse for seventeen years before fully embracing her creative nature. Having grown up believing that God only spoke through the Bible, her life was transformed with the personal knowledge that He still speaks today. As she experienced a revelation of God's love for her and the power of words to transform and heal, she began designing jewelry, partnering with the Holy Spirit to create a tangible way to bring Heaven to Earth. This is where her prophetic jewelry company, The Crowning Jewels, was birthed. Many people recognize her company as a business-ministry hybrid. She is known as a prophetic visionary with the drive to accomplish her dreams. Her mandate is to champion others as they discover their God given identity and fulfill their divine purpose. After living in Redding, CA for ten years, she recently moved back home and currently resides in Texas.
Katelyn Alexander
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Katelyn Alexander is a masterful teacher and coach with a passion for seeing people walk in the wholeness of who God created them to be. An actor, writer, and storyteller, Katelyn blends creativity and charisma with a solid foundation on the Word of God. Katelyn first worked with Anne and The Crowning Jewels in 2015 and now blogs, writes, and teaches for TCJ.
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