When Israel was in bondage in Egypt, God’s response to their cry for help was a prophetic declaration through Moses. Any time in history when God wanted to shift the culture, he did so by sending a prophetic declaration of his word.
Jonah went to Nineveh with a word from God and everything changed. We see this with Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and the list goes on.
When the prophet awakens the prophetic within God’s people, God’s Kingdom is released in the earth. The promises of God are voice activated.
In book of Joel, we see this common pattern emerging once again. God’s people were in bondage. They had settled into oppression and had completely lost their fight. The prophetic word of the Lord awakened something within them that they did not have without God’s word.
Joel 3:9-10Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!” NIV
God brings a prophetic word to awaken a prophetic declaration even when we’re weak. Suddenly what’s coming out of their mouth changes. Again, when the prophet awakens the prophetic within God’s people, God’s Kingdom is released in the earth. The promises of God are voice activated.
Joel 3:17-18 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. 18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house… NIV
Farmers became fighters when the prophetic declaration of God awakened new strategies for existing tools they already had in their hands. You don’t need a great big change to your circumstances. You need a Word from God to change your perspective!
The language of your mouth is coming from the culture of your life. If you’ve grown up in Japan you speak Japanese. The language and the accent are the result of the environment. What is the environment of your life?
If you don’t know how to speak positively because you’re always speaking negatively, it’s the language you learned from the environment of your life. You can learn to speak a different language. This is why God’s Word is so vital to your future! Even in oppression and bondage God’s Word can bring you out.
When we think fear we live in fear. When we think peace, we live in peace. When we think depression, we live in depression. When we think joy, we live in joy. If we think and speak inspired by the Holy Spirit this prophetic capacity exists within us!
At some point we move from being people in bondage who need a prophet to a people in Christ who release this prophetic declaration to world around us. This happens when you begin rehearsing God’s Word, releasing God’s Kingdom and activating God’s promises with your very own voice.
Let the weak say I am strong! Before long you’ll be saying to others, “You are strong!” Let the poor say I am rich! Before long you’ll be saying to others, “You are rich!” You can grow spiritually in the environment of God’s Word and learn how to speak the language of faith. This is the prophetic nature of God awakened within us.
We are in fellowship with God. He lives inside of us! Conversation with God is this internal dialogue that is stimulated and awakened by getting into the word, listening in prayer and growing in authentic community with other believers.
The Bible uses analogies of a farmer, an athlete and a soldier to describe the walk of faith. All three require diligent preparation.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them (he gave) power to become the sons (and daughters) of God, even to them that believe on his name. KJV
So let’s consistently practice rehearsing God’s word every day. Get creative! Ask God for advice.
www.allnationsmovement.org