Into the Wilderness to Be Revived
I believe that we are in a season, both personally and corporately, where God is leading us through a wilderness, not to isolate us, but to revive us. It's where the Lord says, "I'm pulling them out to deliver them, and heal them, and ready them for the next chapter."
I went through this very thing in late 2024, where I felt like I hit a wall and needed to get away. It's that feeling where you sense a need to go up the mountain and let God revive and reinvent your life under the power of His hand. It's where you long to be cut loose from what has been attached to you in the long-haul season of doing Kingdom work.
So, this wilderness isn't to punish you but to momentarily cut the cord so that you can be loosed from your bonds. It's a place where God allows us to search our hearts so that He can remove anything that shouldn't be there. It's a place where the layers of a battle-fought season are stripped away and you come back to simple relationship.
Right now, God is highlighting areas that aren't working, things that are frustrating us and are leading us away from His purpose. These things are producing "Ishmaels" instead of "Isaacs," and He wants to free us from them. Can you relate? We're seeing this take place in the Body of Christ as well.
Chapter 2 Moments: Wooing, Fire, and Outpouring
There are three passages of Scripture that really speak to what God is doing right now. People are talking about Joel 2, and I agree. We are in a "Joel 2 moment," where God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. That's why we're seeing dreams, visions, fresh prophetic insight, and the rise of a generation that prophesies. "Your sons and daughters will prophesy" (Joel 2:28 NIV). It's happening.
But we've also been talking about Acts 2, which feels like the vehicle God is using to bring us into what's already available. It's not something new. It's a realignment. God is realigning His Church with Acts 2, returning us to the original design, the original power, and the original fire. (Photo via Pexels)
But here's what I want to highlight. There's another "chapter 2 moment" that I believe we're walking through right now, and it comes first: Hosea 2. Hosea 2 is a prophetic snapshot of the Church—a bride who walked away from covenant and gave herself to other lovers.
God says, "I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14 NIV). Right now, the Lord is drawing His Bride into the wilderness, not to punish her, but to restore her back to intimacy.
I believe what we're seeing in the Church—the shaking, the exposure, the unraveling of man-made systems—is a Hosea 2 moment. It's where the Church that once fell in love with the lights, the glamour, and the stage is now being wooed back to Presence. It's where God is saying, "Come back to Me. Let Me be your first love again."
And as the Church returns to intimacy, to simplicity, and to covenant, we will enter into Acts 2 again. This is where the Holy Spirit begins to pour out in a fresh way—not just on platforms, but in hidden rooms, families, churches, homes, and gatherings of hungry hearts. This is where repentance meets refreshing, where the oil returns. It is where signs, wonders, miracles, and healing begin to flow again, not because of hype, but because we've made room for Him.
And from there, we move into the Joel 2 outpouring. The Joel 2 army doesn't come from a distracted or divided Church. It comes from a restored, realigned, and empowered Bride. So, if you feel like you've been in a wilderness, this is your Hosea 2 moment. If you're feeling hungry and expectant, this is your Acts 2 moment. If you feel the stirring to rise up and release the word of the Lord, this is your Joel 2 moment.
They're not separate moves; they are one prophetic flow. Hosea 2 prepares us. Acts 2 empowers us. Joel 2 sends us. This is what God is doing right now in the Church, in families, and in individuals. Let the wilderness do its work. Let the fire fall again, and let the harvest begin. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
So, with that said, let me speak this over you: While it may seem like God is stripping things away; while it may feel like He is leading you out of relationships, assignments, environments, or even callings that once felt secure; while closures and endings seem to surround you... it is not to diminish you. It is to prepare you.
Remove the Old Garments and Put On the New
He is removing the old garments. He is cleansing the residue and slime of past seasons. He is cutting ties with compromise and false alignments. He is wiping away the shame, the confusion, and the weariness, and He is handing you a new robe and a new ring. He is restoring your authority. He is clothing you in righteousness and recommissioning you in intimacy. He is setting the table for personal outpouring so that you can pour out to others.
You are not being buried; you are being planted. You are not being abandoned; you are being re-aligned. The season has changed. Winter has passed. The sound of singing is in the land again.
I prophesy that you are stepping into the days of overflow. You will not just survive this stripping; you will emerge radiant. You will not just be revived; you will be reignited. And from the wilderness, you will come out leaning on your Beloved (Song of Solomon 8:5), dripping with fresh oil.
Let the wilderness do its work. Let the fire fall again, and let the harvest begin. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Nate Johnston
Everyday Revivalists
Email:Â everydayrevivalists@gmail.com
Website:Â 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 Colorado Springs, CO.
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