It's a New
Season of Restoration
The Thief
Has Been Discovered - Get Ready for Your Harvest!
By Matt Sorger
The
church is entering into a new season. Many are about to experience great
restoration and harvest in their lives.
John
10:10 declares "The
thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may
have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
(AMP)
ENDURING UNJUST SUFFERING
Most
of us have walked through what I call "unjust suffering." You will find that in
your life's journey you will encounter circumstances that are outside of your
control. When you are going through it, life might not feel too abundant. But
that is when you learn to live out of your spirit, not your soul. God's Kingdom
within you will release His righteousness, peace and joy no matter what is
happening around you.
Unjust
suffering is suffering you endure as a result of the choices and actions of other
people around you. It can result from the hand of the enemy or from the
ungodly, immature choices people make. When people act in a non Christ-like way
it can affect not only them but you. I call these people "fruit testers". They
have a way of squeezing your fruit to see how Christ-like you are. If you are
living out of your soul, life can become unpleasant when someone is squeezing
your fruit!
We
are called to not only receive God's blessings, but at times to endure the pain
of unjust suffering. But we are going to learn something life changing about
suffering and blessing. It pleases God when we respond correctly to suffering.
And we can respond correctly because we know one simple fact. God is a just God
and will not only judge fairly, but He will go to bat for you and fight on your
behalf! If you respond correctly, God's hands will be released to bring divine
justice for you.
HOW TO RESPOND TO UNJUST
SUFFERING
So
how should we respond when life doesn't seem too abundant and people are
squeezing our fruit? How do we respond to people that are hurting us with their
words and actions? What do we do when people's wrong choices are adversely
affecting our lives?
"Never return evil for evil
or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary
blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly
pitying and loving them]. For know that to this you have been called, that you
may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God--that you may obtain a blessing as
heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection]. For let him who wants to
enjoy life and see good days [good--whether apparent or not] keep his tongue
free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit). Let him turn away
from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace
(harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts)
and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with
your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]" (1 Pet 3:9-11 AMP)
There's
a lot in this portion of scripture! When you are scolded, tongue-lashed,
insulted and berated don't respond in the same evil way. Respond with blessing!
How do you do that? You pray for the person's welfare, happiness and
protection, even when they don't deserve it. Rather than reacting in your
flesh, step back, leave the room, walk away, do whatever you have to do to
remain in the spirit so you can release blessing. Pray for the person. This
will keep your heart attitude right and keep you free from offense, bitterness
and anger. Once bitterness takes root it will be difficult to pray blessing on
someone. Remember this, when you release blessing, you inherit blessing. When
you release undeserved blessing on someone you increase your inheritance of God's
blessing, happiness and protection over your own life.
To
enjoy the abundant life Christ died to give you, you must be mindful of three
things.
1. Always release and pray blessing over people, especially the ones
hurting you the most.
2. Keep your tongue from evil. Refuse to agree with what the enemy is
doing. Avoid at all cost angry, hurtful, bitter, negative, fearful and
reactionary words. Choose to line your mouth up with the Holy Spirit and with
God's word.
3. Aggressively pursue peace. Go after peace with God, with other people
and with yourself.
In many of our lives, at one point or
another, it may feel like the enemy has come in like a thief and tried to rob,
steal, kill and destroy.
But
I have a word from the Lord for you!
"But if he is found out, he
must restore seven times [what he stole]; he must give the whole substance of
his house [if necessary - to meet his fine]. Prov 6:31 (AMP)
Once
you have discernment on where and how the enemy has been stealing from you, you
can rise up and use the authority God has given you as a believer.
When
the thief has been discovered to have stolen something, he must not only return
what he stole, but he must give back seven times as much. Not only that, he must
give his whole house away if necessary to pay back the fines he owes.
The
devil has a lot of fines to pay! Not only does he have to give back seven times
what he stole from you, but we are plundering his entire house!
If
he has tried to put depression and heaviness on you, get ready for seven-fold
joy. If he has tried to put sickness on you, get ready for seven-fold health.
If he has tried to put debt and lack on you, get ready for seven-fold
prosperity and provision. If he has tried to put fear and anxiety on you, get
ready for seven-fold faith. If he has tried to put bondage and addiction on
you, get ready for seven-fold freedom.
IT'S HARVEST TIME! LOST
YEARS WILL BE RESTORED
God
is a God of the second chance! He is about to restore to you the years that the
locust has eaten. Some suffering is unjust. However, some of our suffering is
the result of bad choices we have made. Some of you today are experiencing a
negative harvest in your life because of bad seeds you have sown. When we make
sinful choices we are sowing negative seeds in our lives that will ultimately
bring a bad harvest.
However
we serve a God of the second and third and fourth chance! If you will decide to
begin to sow good seeds in your life today, your harvest will begin to
transform. God is in the restoring business and many are about to experience
some glorious restoration in many areas of their lives. We cannot always get
back lost opportunities but God is able to restore the years that were lost to
you and cause the glory on your latter house to be greater than your former.
Here's the word of the
Lord for you in this new season!
It's
harvest time. Your threshing floors will be full of wheat and there will be an
overflow of wine and oil in your life. Wheat and grain always speak of harvest
and the wine and oil speak of the overflow and abundance of the anointing of
the Holy Spirit in your life. Years that were lost during past seasons of
wilderness wanderings are about to come back to you and be replaced with
harvest and blessing. Some of you will even experience an extension of your
lives as lost years are restored!
DECREE AND DECLARE
"Heavenly Father, I humble myself and repent for any bad choices I have
made over the years. I ask that you would bring full restoration into my life
and restore my lost years. May the glory on my latter house be greater than my
former.
Heavenly Father, right now I pray blessing, love, well-being,
protection, and provision upon every person that has hurt me and brought unjust
suffering into my life. I choose to walk in love and blessing. I speak blessing
over them right now in Jesus name. I forgive them in Jesus name. I release them
into Your hands.
I command everything that was taken from me and everything that was stolen from me to be restored in Jesus name. I command the thief to repay seven times what he stole. In Jesus name I command every fine to be paid and I empty the storehouse of the thief! I command the thief to restore seven times everything that he has ever taken from me, in Jesus name. Father I thank you for the abundant harvest and fresh anointing that is coming my way! In Jesus name. Amen."