I remember hearing a story from a friend of mine who spent a lot of time ministering to pastors who served the “underground” church in China. She asked one of the pastors who had just returned from a trip to America what impressed him about the church in America. His answer; he was amazed what the American church could accomplish without God!. Ouch, what an indictment! Help us Lord ! Certainly, this is no surprise to the Lord as He spoke through the Apostle John regarding the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:15-22 (ESV).
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
I personally believe we are moving into a season where a remnant church will emerge from this lukewarm church and carry the authority and wisdom of the Lord. They will be completely united in their love for each other and the Lord. They will do His bidding and not simply do good ideas that lack their birthing in Jesus. We will see the fulfillment of Psalm 127:1 (ESV)
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
When things look impossible, that is the opportunity for God to work. He told his disciples in Matthew19:26 (ESV)26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I said all this to introduce a word given to Lana Vawser for the start of 2022. It was of great encouragement to me and I trust it will be to you.
“IT MAY LOOK LIKE THE END, BUT IT’S NEW BIRTH”
Recently I heard the Lord speaking over many in the body of Christ and He spoke “It may look like the end, but it’s new birth”
I began to see people all across the body of Christ in a place of feeling like they had “lost themselves” in 2021 because of all the hardship and battles they had endured. They came to the beginning of 2022 and were feeling ‘lost’. Feeling like they were but a shadow of themselves and who they were and beginning to flourish into, in the years before.
The Lord began to show me that their hearts were crying out to Him in deep pain. There was a place of brokenness they were experiencing because of all they had endured, there were so many questions, there was trauma, pain, grief, and a feeling of emptiness. I saw these ones looking back on the past few years and feeling like they were not the same person anymore. Hopelessness, disappointment, pain, trauma had taken root and they were feeling like the very life had been stolen from them, and breath and passion they once carried had waned.
I saw these ones crying out to the Lord feeling like they had reached their end. I could hear their hearts crying out to the Lord in the secret place “Lord, I feel like a part of me has died”, “Lord, I feel like I have died inside”, “Lord, the pain is overwhelming, I am exhausted Lord” – I watched as these ones were on their faces crying out. Dreams had died, passions had died, many left feeling ‘locked down’ and unable to ‘dream again’.
His voice broke in over these ones:
“It may look like the end, but it’s new birth”
Suddenly I was surrounded in the spirit by a very deep sense of transformation. I was surrounded in the spirit by a very deep sense of His reviving fire. I was surrounded by a stronger sense of new life, stronger than I had ever felt before. The Lord began to speak:
“There is deep pain, there has been brokenness, things have died within but these things are NO MATCH for My fire. My revival fire. I am coming swiftly and suddenly upon you now to not only REVIVE you, but to RESUSCITATE you, REBOOT you and RESET you. There have been MANY things that you have endured in this season, there has been great pain, great loss, great trauma, but My power, My love, My fire upon you right now to REVIVE you and bring you forth STRONGER than ever, is greater than anything you have endured. I am faithful. I have been with you. I have carried you. I have caught every tear and the battle you have been through has not been for nothing. SO much is about to make sense as My fire is falling. You are stepping into a great reset and in the reset you will receive and walk in the greatest depth of intimacy, encounter and increase in Me, that you have walked in. There was a deep death that has taken place, but oh the FRUITFULNESS and Glory, My Glory that will rest upon you now in greater ways than you have ever seen. All of the areas where you have felt loss, I am speaking unto you today, that these areas you will see a reviving and a strengthening, a fortifying like you have never seen. This is your new birth. This is where YOU come forth as the YOU I have created you to be, like never before. Carrying new fire. Carrying you boldness. Carrying new and fresh awakening to who I am in you and who you are in Me. Carrying greater revelation of My heart and My ways. The enemy came thick and fast to knock you off and attempt to cause you to lose footing but I say unto you I am SECURING and FORTIFYING your footing in Me and in your FOUNDATIONS in Me like never before. You will be baptised in My fire afresh and come forth in such closeness with Me, unlike anything you’ve experienced. You will come forth carrying My fire and Glory with such weight, the supernatural will manifest in and through your life like you have never seen. Favour is going to increase in unprecedented ways. Overflow will burst forth”
His voice then got louder:
“You thought you had been taken out, you thought you had died within, but I am raising you up stronger than ever. This is a time of ferocious COMEBACK in your life and I am raising you up as one who is CARRYING THE NEW WINE. This may have looked like the end and a death to so much, but this is a time of NEW BIRTH and NEW COMMISSIONING. Watch and see what I am about to do. Consecrate yourself deeper to Me and know that I am about to do WONDERS IN you and THROUGH YOU (Joshua 3:5). You came to your end, now I’ve stepped in, to launch you into your greatest assignment and greatest days in Me. Many have mocked you, many have looked down upon you, there’s been jealousy and words spoken over you by men, but MY WORD and MY favour and vindication is about to explode in your life like you have never seen before and you will see WHY the enemy has been so terrified of you and why the battle has been so intense, because you are NOW being COMMISSIONED into days of greater fullness in walking in your assignment in the earth, seeing My Glory and My name lifted high and the works of the enemy destroyed. Souls, souls and more souls coming into the Kingdom. The power of My name manifesting in such power, to bring the greatest transformation you have ever seen. In your life and through your life. Here is My fire. It’s here! You’re about to burn with passion and first love fire in an unprecedented way. Your ears are receiving My fire right now to hear with a depth and accuracy like never before. Your eyes are receiving My fire right now to see in the Spirit in greater depth to see what I am doing and what I am saying and what is happening in the Spirit like Elisha’s servant. Your hands are receiving My fire now igniting the gift of healing in your life that I have spoken to you about for many years but you have not yet seen. You have only seen the assignment of the enemy over your own body to try to take you out. Receive your healing now! Receive My fire upon your hands now igniting that gift of healing in your life today in Jesus name. It’s time! It’s time! It’s time! This is a new birth for you. New adventures. New territories, new lands, with the greatest of fire and the greatest of fruit.”