The Current Chapter

So the current chapter of my life that I am in started in April of 2008. One of the ladies in my church named Ms. Nancy came up to me before one of our am Sunday services. She greated me and was about to go into the santuary and then abruptly turned back around like she remembered something that someone had told her to tell me. She then told me that God was about to change my life drastically. She said that I would think this change was negative at first, but that through this change God would bring about my greatest hearts desires. A couple of weeks later I was notified that I was going to be laid off from working at the church. I was given a month before I would be let go.

Some time after that I was fasting and praying with some friends at my church. I went outside and began praying over the property. I was praying and asking God what He wanted to do in my life and what He wanted to do at my church, Willow Lake Church. I then felt like God wanted me to go for a walk on our 22 acres of property. I walked down the path that runs parallel to Farrow Rd. and the railroad tracks. As I walked past all the pine trees I made my way to the second set of powerlines(Our property is divided into thirds by two sets of powerlines). I then felt that the Lord was telling me to stop where I was. It seemed as God were saying that He was going to develope our property to a point, pause, and then develope it the rest of the way. Now, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't crazy, hearing voices that weren't there, or didn't eat something bad for breadfast. So, as I made my way back to the church I asked God to confirm what I was sensing in His word. As I prayed Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy popped into my head. So, I broke open my Ancient Faith Holman Christian Standard Bible and began to let my eyes scan the pages. I continued to pray and as I did my eyes landed on the first scripture from the 24th chapter of Genesis "'LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please to the journey on which I have come." Honestly, at this point, I didn't think much of it. However, I continued onto Exodus where my eyes where taken to Exodus chapter 6:8-11, "8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' " 9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11 "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." I thought, "Cool verses. They're about land, like church land. So, I proceded to Leviticus where it says, "9 " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God(Lev.19:9&10)." I thought to myself that this was starting to get inseresting. My eyes then searched through the pages of the book of Numbers as I asked God to guide them. They landed on 13:1&2, "1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders." At this point my eyes bugged out of my head and my hands began to shake as I eagerly made my way to Deuteronomy 5:31-33, "31 But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess." 32 So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." Wow was my reaction I knew that God was speaking to me. You have to understand that I am familiar with the Bible but not to the point that I can recall things like a Strong's Bible concordance. This was quite an exceptional event for me.

A couple of months later a friend of mine and I went out to the church property on a Saturday to pray over the property and "scout out the land" as it said to do in Numbers 13:1&2. We really didn't receive any clarity that day so we decided to pray and fast for the next week and return the next Saturday.

When we retured the following Saturday my friend had an exceptional vision regarding the youth ministry that he and his wife heads up. This happened when we where praying over the church property. I did not receive any revelation until after we both left the church. As I was driving away from the church I felt that the Lord wanted me to pull my car over and I did. After pulling over I had three different portions of scripture come into my head. The first was Deuteronomy 12:1-7 which says, " 1 These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land. 2 Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains, on the hills and under every spreading tree, where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.
4 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. 5 But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; 6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you. I was immediatly impressed as I looked up the verses that had just popped in my head that again, were about possessing land. I then got another verse which I quickly looked up. It was Eccesiastes 3:6, "6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away," which goes along with destroying sin and any connection we have with the enemy. Then I had a verse from Ezekiel which reads, "7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious." I took this to mean that I was to tell others about these verses that I have received.

Since this experience I have had numerous people repeat the same theme of separation, holiness, and destroying false idols. I believe that this is the season that the Lord has us in before He ushers us into the "promised land", whatever that may be. I am continuing to ask God what sin there is in my life and I am partnering with Him to grow in holiness through a closer relationship with Him. I am very excited to see where God takes us from here. And I'll be sure to report my findings in the next installment.