On Easter Sunday, John Kilpatrick
read a prophetic word by Dennis Cramer to his church. The word was powerful. It
spoke about the brutality of the last 7 years for leaders, in fact everyone.
Then he went on to declare that we have now entered a 7 year period of
restoration. Stolen things of all sorts will be returned. Those who have
suffered unfair judgments, actions, persecution, will be vindicated. He went on
and on, reiterating the details of what God had said.
Basically what he was declaring
is that we have entered a massive time of restoration and revival. (Joel
2:18-27) In fact there are a
whole bunch of "r" words that could be used here. Reform, Renew, Refresh,
Repair, Rebuild, Refurbish, Reinstate, Revive, Recover, Regain, Revitalize,
even Resuscitate. Some of us need
resuscitating. Joel said,
And I
will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten-the hopping
locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, My great army which I
sent among you. And you shall eat in
plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has
dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame. And you shall know, understand, and realize
that I am in the midst of Israel and that I the Lord am your God and there is
none else. My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:25-27
AMP
Luke wrote about this in the book
of Acts when he said, "Repent therefore and be converted, so that your sins
will be blotted out, and the times of rest (refreshing) from before the face of
THE LORD JEHOVAH will come to you." To repent is simply to turn around. It is a
turning away from something detrimental towards God. To repent is to make an
about face. There has to be a conscious acknowledgment of something in our
lives that is less than God longs it to be. It is an act of humility. And then
there has to be a turning away from that.
"Forgive us our sins" in the
Lord's Prayer has always clarified sin for me. The word forgive in that phrase
is hamartia, meaning to fall short of
the mark, to miss the target. The mark we are to measure ourselves by is the
Word of God as well as His specific, Holy Spirit inspired direction to us.
Let Go and Let God
For some repentance is simply an
acknowledgment of humanity. I am not God. You are not God. What we have been
trying to hold up or save, only God can. It's an act of surrender. I can't save
somebody or something, a business, church, marriage, family. I must let go and
let God. It is to cease striving, trying to make something happen. The end
result is that we come into a state of rest.
And the refreshing begins.
I can identify with what
Kilpatrick said. The season was brutal, unrelentingly so, not only for me but
for many I know. Many pastors and leaders were "brutalized" in this past
season. It looked like nothing remained. And if anything did, it was in a
shambles. Marriages, reputations, accusations, smear campaigns, failed
endeavors, lost inheritances to state a few. I'm sure you can add another set of
losses.
All of the warfare began when the
prophetic words started flowing like water out of a broken dam concerning what
God was getting ready to do. An unprecedented move of God, signs, wonders and
miracles, awakening, a new wave of power evangelism, another Jesus people type
movement . . . on and on. Then the plug was pulled and all power to fulfill
those words was drained from us.
I believe at least two dynamics
were at work. First the enemy was opposing us. There was an all-out assault to
try to stop what God said He was getting ready to do. And because God works
through people, you and I was the target. The enemy desired to destroy us, the
conduits of God's Spirit.
Second, God was qualifying us;
Revelations 2 and 3 states that we must qualify to inherit by overcoming. If we
overcome, there has to be a hindrance, an obstacle of some sort in the way. If
we are still standing, we've overcome and we qualify. If we fell down, then
throw yourself on the mercy of God. It's
time to get back up, cut our losses, and move on. If we failed, forgive
yourself, turn back to God and go on.
A Time of Restoration
We have entered a season of
revival, awakening, signs, wonders and miracles. It isn't off in the distant,
it's now! Healing and deliverance are going to break out so miraculously,
beyond anything we can imagine. Those who've lost their way are coming home.
Prodigals are going to leave the pigpen, come back and make it right.
Reputations are going to be restored. Those who have maligned others are going
to come repenting and asking for restoration. Lost things are going to be
restored.
What are you to do? If you don't
believe it is happening for you, just get up and start moving back towards God.
Get back in the church, family you left, people you ditched, friends you turned
your back on. If you are holding aught against someone, let it go. Ask God to
help you forgive and let go. It's a time to let go of offenses, grudges, and
unforgiveness. Anger over how things
turned out. God is doing a new thing and His heart is to totally restore. Begin
to declare that you are in a new season even if it feels like the middle of
winter. Act as if God has already started your restoration process because He
has. Talk to God from your heart, pour it out to God and begin to soak in the
Word. His presence will come and overwhelm you.
Humble yourself in the sight of
the Lord and He will lift you up. Furthermore He will give you great grace. And
watch the restoration process unroll in your life like a refreshing rushing
stream in springtime. Revival and awakening are here.
Come all the way home! To God, to
your family, to those you left out of hurt or bitterness. It is time.
Barbara Yoder
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