The End of an Era, The Beginning of Another—September 2018

We hope you’re all well and enjoying your life in God. We have had a fantastic August with a vacation thrown in at the end. But of course translating has never stopped. We have a mandate to get the whole Bible out as soon as possible and time keeps racing on.

Many of you who live here in the states have gotten your children back in school, finished moving, changed jobs, gotten married, settled in and are ready to go again into the new season. I’m not certain what it looks like in your part of the world, but I do know that the Lord is saying, “This is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.” And as God would have it we are now working on the beginnings of the translation of the book of Genesis. My part of course has been in doing the first edit. And in so doing I’m seeing so many correlations in the translation to our present season.

Word for this Jewish New Year A Year of Beginnings

The 500th year anniversary of the Reformation of the church has passed and a season of renaissance has come. Today we have crossed a threshold and I’m seeing the Spirit of God hovering over the earth. We have moved into an incredible time in history. The old is going and the new is coming in! In my dreams I have seen the Spirit of God brooding over the earth. it. It’s time to cry out, “Over here Lord! I want more of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation operating in my life.”

A Year of Increased Creativity

God’s revelation is on the increase! As God’s Word of Power was released at creation the universe began to expand at the speed of light; and it has been expanding ever since. God’s kingdom operates according to the principle of an endless increase (Isa. 9:6-7), not by a power that diminishes over time.

We are blessed to be living in this era, a doubly fruitful era where it’s full speed ahead. We’re not in a time to shrink back! This is the time of beginnings. Whatever held you back in the last season is being lifted in this one. We will see new artists, new authors, new businesses, new visions for church planting and evangelism. It’s a year of discovery, vision and entrepreneurship in every one of the seven mountains; the church, education, media, family, business, government and arts and entertainment mountains.

Even in pain

Even in times of pain and disappointment creativity will be birthed and released. Take the example of childbirth. “God said to the woman, I will cause your labor pains in childbirth to be intense, with pain and you will give birth to children.” ‘The word pain here is the Hebrew word ‘etsev’, a homophone, that can also mean creativity. God will use our painful situations to birth and express his beautiful creativity

through us. How many works of art, compositions of music, and powerful acts of kindness have been born through the “labor pains” of our sometimes troubled past. Pain can become the incubator of creativity and beauty.’ *1-g3:16

The Lord has made it so that the devil can’t win! If we will but turn our sorrows over to Him, lay our heads to rest on Jesus’ chest and listen to His heartbeat beating for us, the Father will give us double for all our trouble! And the enemy will regret it! “Go ahead (devil), set a trap for others—and then watch as it snaps back on you! Start a landslide and you’ll be the one who gets crushed!” Prov. 26:27

A Year of Coming Alive Through Prayer & Worship

I had a vision of people who have been holding on to a vision for years. They have kept their ideas and plans close to their hearts, but because key pieces of the puzzle have been missing they have had to put their plans on hold. And as they were worshipping and praying I began to see keys falling out of heaven and into their hearts. They were keys that unlocked destiny and dreams as they discovered the missing piece. Some were character issues that needed to be settled, for others it was issues of unforgiveness, for some it was timing, others ownership issues, others relational issues, and etc. God came and tweaked the heart and it all came together at last!

“Then Yahweh-God scooped a lump of soil in his hands, sculpted a man, and blew into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man came alive—a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

For those who are barely hanging on to hope, God is going to blow the breath of life back into you. As you give yourself to worship, prayer and praise to Him, He will manifest. And you will experience a fresh wind blowing upon your life. And I can hear you saying, “I had no idea that I was in the condition that I was in! But I feel the fresh wind of the Father blowing and I am going with it.” It’s the breath of God and He will carry you into this new year. And He’s going to release a new confidence in you. As I write I am see Him picking you up and carrying you to the place of His planting for you. You will be amazed as His plans for you begin to unfold! For the Father is going to awaken the souls of those who feel dead and useless and those who have lost their way. They will come alive again! And we will be revived together and the dry bones will live. Your soul will come alive in this season!

Genesis footnote: ‘The rabbinical teachings use a synonym for soul (nephesh) in 2:7. The word is mav’eh, derived from the root ba’ah, a verb that means, “to ask, to seek, to request as in prayer,” in other words, the Talmud defines man as the creature that prays. Furthermore, the Talmud teaches that the soul, is synonymous with prayer. A nuanced translation could be that the man was manifested as a praying being (one who could commune with God. In a sense, to become human, means we must move in the direction of the divine design embedded within us.’ *2-c2:7 We have been destined to move and breath and have our being in Him. It’s time to worship Him and come alive!

The Year of Real Rest

I’m hearing pastors, teachers and people everywhere talking about and focusing on rest, especially the older generation. It’s a shame that we wait until we’re tired and worn out before we realize that we need it! The Lord didn’t wait until the earth was old and tired before He established rest, but He established it from the very beginning. “So, God blessed the seventh day and made it sacred, because on it he paused to rest from all his work of creation.” Gen. 2:3

Here’s a footnote from Genesis that explains God’s concept of rest:

Genesis footnote: God was not weary, He was simply rejoicing in his masterpiece. God’s work in us, for us, and through us, continues through time. God’s last day is mans’ first day. As soon as man was created, he rested with God. In this way, he became one with God, dwelling with him and resting in his accomplishments. There is no mention of evening and morning completing the seventh day, for God’s Sabbath rest endures forever, and there is no night there. Our true Sabbath rest is found in the finished work of Christ (Matt. 11:28-30). See also Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 3:17—4:9; Rev. 21:25.’ *3-f2:3

So, we see that rest is not just the absence of activity, but it’s an act of trusting in the finished work of Christ as we go about our daily lives and activities. Here’s what the Father said about the children of Israel when they failed to rest in God.

“They grieved God for forty years by sinning in their unbelief, until they dropped dead in the desert. So, God swore an oath that they would never enter his calming place of rest all because they disobeyed him. It is clear that they could not enter into their inheritance because they wrapped their hearts in unbelief.” Heb. 3:17-19

This year we’ll begin to hear more and more about the faith/rest walk and more rest will be experienced than in past generations. This will result in a healthier church in body and soul. We’ll see many with depression, eating disorders, rashes, high blood pressure and other illnesses healed as we learn to appropriate the faith/rest walk. True Sozo was released at the cross and poured out salvation, healing and deliverance bringing peace and rest to our souls.

The Year of More Husband and Wife Teams Arising

More husband and wife teams will arise. (This is not to say that single men and women will not continue to rise-up, but it’s merely a statement of what I’m seeing.) And as a result, we will begin to see a greater unity and effectiveness released in our churches. Not because the men are not capable leaders, but simple because the Father has called us to serve together. It’s so healthy for the church body as a whole. In one poll that I researched I found that 61% of our services are women and 39% men. And mid-week services 70% to 80% of the congregation are women.

Genesis footnote: ‘Man and woman were both given the command to rule the earth and subdue all things. Man and woman, blessed by their Creator, with the authority to rule as co-regents with him. The blessing of God to man and woman includes authority to rule. The dominion of the earth will only be accomplished as man and woman together exercise their proper roles and rule. God’s image is reflected in both men and women, and so is rulership.’*4-i1:28

And finally:

The Year to Be Set Free of Fear and Dread

We recently vacationed in Hawaii. We usually vacation there when we’ve accumulated our airline and hotel points. And while we were in Honolulu the forecasters began predicting a category 5 hurricane. I won’t go through all the details, but just want to say that it was so super-hyped.

Here’s some of their reporting:
‘The preliminary totals ranked this hurricane as the second highest for a tropical storm or hurricane in the United States since records began in 1950; “It’s almost at biblical proportions said State Sen. Kai Kahele. There will be “Life-threatening” flash flooding in the archipelago, where the storm has already brought landslides, floods and power failures and three fires have broken out in West Maui.’

But I heard the Lord say, “The enemy wants to entrap people with a spirit of fear and dread, but I am going to set people free.” As it is with this hurricane warning, so the enemy is going to attempt to upset the body of Christ repeatedly with storms and other seemingly traumatic events. Then I had a vision of the lovers of God wrapping themselves up in the wrap-around shield of God. They would not allow the enemy to steal their peace, hurricane or no hurricane! It’s time to call his bluff through worship, intercession and the Word of God as our wrap-around shield!

Here’s the end report of the hurricane from the local news stations in Hawaii:
Hurricane Lane collapsed in spectacular fashion as it drew close to the Hawaiian Islands. It could have been much worse. Had it held together and edged slightly farther north, severe rain, wind and surf would have bombarded Oahu and Maui. Instead, those islands were grazed.

As far as we know there was no loss of life and the fires were put our quickly. We seemed to be in a harbor of safety. They closed all public beaches and most businesses for three days. We had no rain except sprinkles, not much wind and all the townspeople flooded over to our hotel beach to swim. It turned out to be more of a holiday for Honolulu. There were so many people crowded on our beach that the small Dairy Queen decided to open to catch the business. It was the hurricane that wasn’t for us!

Here’s the difference between God and the enemy:

God is for you! Today is not your day to give up or give in. Neither is tomorrow. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option. 2nd Cor. 4:8 You’re only defeated when you quit! God’s kingdom operates on a principle of endless increase. (Is. 9:6-7) not by a power that diminishes over time.

FEARLESS FAITH (This year’s Psalm)

Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else:
I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house,
finding the sweet loveliness of his face,
filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace.
I want to live my life so close to him
that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.
In his shelter in the day of trouble, that’s where you’ll find me, for he hides me there in his holiness.
He has smuggled me into his secret place,
where I’m kept safe and secure—
out of reach from all my enemies.
Triumphant now, I’ll bring him my offerings of praise,
singing and shouting with ecstatic joy!
Psalm 27:1-6

*1 Genesis footnote g3:16
*2 Genesis footnote c2:7
*3 Genesis footnote f2:3
*4 Genesis footnote i1:28