Incline your ear and hear Him for the coming glory!

Proverbs 4:20 (NKJV): My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

The word ‘incline’ here is ‘natah’ in Hebrew, which means 'to bow down, to bend towards, to cause to yield'. Notice 'natah' does involve humility and 'yieldedness' on the hearer’s side.

People of God, this is a crucial time to incline your ear and hear Him! Not that you don't hear at other times, but there's an urgency in the spirit to release these words at this juncture. 

I heard these words as I was communing with the Lord recently: 

"There has been a stagnancy in many of My people far and wide, but a new glory is coming! There will be a new hunger and a new thirst, a 'deep calling unto deep'. I am going deep into the hearts of many, even nations and governments. Watch My hand reach into the deepest most, where no one had reached before. There will be a setting free! And there will be a release!" 

And then, I heard:
"I am raising the 'Samuels' of today, those who would incline their ears and hear Me for this coming glory!"

In 1 Samuel 3:10, the Bible says, 'Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant hears."' 

The name ‘Samuel’ here is ‘Shemuw-El' in Hebrew, coming from two words - ‘Shama’ and 'El'. This word 'Shama' literally means 'to hear with attention, to hear with obedience, to hear with an understanding heart', while ‘El’ is the name of God. Notice the words 'attention', 'obedience' and 'an understanding heart' here? These qualities in him were also the very reasons why 'he grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground' (1 Samuel 3:19).

During a time of worship and prayer recently, I heard and declared these words to the congregation: 

"This is the time to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit to break every stone that hinders you from hearing in the spirit! These stones have been put up by the enemy to block you from hearing clearly from the Lord. But God has released this holy anointing oil today, and your 'ear' will be clear to hear again!" 

In Ezekiel 11:19-20, the Lord said, "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit (i.e. the anointing of the Holy Spirit) within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes (instructions) and keep My ordinances (blueprints) and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God."

In Ezekiel 36:25-28, the Lord then said, "Then I will sprinkle clean water (speaks of 'the ministry of the Word and the Spirit') on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit (i.e. the anointing of the Holy Spirit) within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes (instructions), and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God."

People of God, on a more personal note, this holy anointing oil is also here right now to destroy every stone that may have hindered you in the recent months. The yoke is broken, and the stones are being removed, in Jesus' name! Receive these words by faith, and be set free to hear anew and afresh from the Lord again, even on what He has in store for you in the coming half of this year! I declare that your spirit is sensitized to hear clearly again! You will dream dreams and you will see visions again! And there's going to be a fresh new outpouring of His power and a fresh new flow of His revelation in your life again! Amen! 

Mark 16:3-4 says, 'And they (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome) said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away - for it was very large.' 

You see, nothing whatsoever could stop Jesus from being set free and to walk free on that day! As He is, so are you in this world! (1 John 4:17) And no matter how large the stone around you may have been in your past, His hand and His power is strong enough to roll it away from you today.

People of God, like Jesus those days, the time of being set free is now, and your time of glory is at hand! This is only the beginning of the ever-increasing glory! I pray that you’ll continue to walk from glory to glory in Him, now and forever more. In Jesus' name. Amen!

No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling!

Psalm 91:9-10 (NKJV): Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

The word 'made' here is from the word 'suwm' in Hebrew, which means 'to regard, to look to'. In other words, as you continue to regard Him, and look to Him, the Most High, as your dwelling place, He promises that 'no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling'!

Today, as a believer in the New Covenant, 'to make the Lord your dwelling place' is 'to know that you are in Christ'. And here in this 'dwelling place', there is the covering of His blood shed for you on the cross!

In Exodus 12:13, the Lord spoke to Moses, "Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

Notice the Lord said, "... when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." He did not say, "When I see your good deeds", "When I see your own righteous deeds", or "When I see your good family name or background", but He said "When I see the blood"!

"So, what is God's antidote (or answer) to any evil or plague?" 

The blood of Jesus! 

'The blood (of the lamb) sprinkled on the two doorposts and on the lintel' (see Exodus 12:7) here was a 'shadow' of what was to come, i.e. the blood of Jesus shed on the cross when He died for you two thousand years ago.

In Exodus 30:11-15, the Lord gave another set of instructions to Moses: "When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give; half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary. The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves..."

The word 'plague' here in Hebrew is 'negeph', from the root word 'nagaph' meaning 'to smite, to strike, to put to (make) worse, to inflict'. A 'plague' can therefore be a disease (usually), but it can also be in any other form of evil, danger, or trouble.

'Ransom' means 'the release of a captive in return (in exchange) for money'. When a captive is freed, it means someone has already paid the price for his/her release. So, the expression 'every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord' here is a 'picture' of 'Jesus who has already paid the price in full on your behalf (when He died for you on the cross)'.

The expression 'those who are numbered' here simply means 'those who are owned by the Lord', and as His children, you certainly belong to Him!

And 'everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above' here speaks of 'those who have come of age, ready to make their own decision (choice)'.

‘Half a shekel’ here speaks of 'the blood of Jesus Christ'. 'Shekels' are made of 'silver', and 'silver' in Hebrew symbolizes 'redemption (buying back), or the price of a soul'. The blood of Jesus is therefore the heavenly currency to redeem you (to buy you back) from being taken captive, just as dollars and cents are the earthly currency in the earthly realm!

The expression ‘the rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less’ here speaks of 'Jesus did not suffer more for Mr A and suffer less for Mr B, but He suffered for us all the same when He died on the cross'. 

People of God, as you can see from all the verses above, He has never intended for you (His children) to suffer any evil or plague! In fact, His will (or desire) for you is that you would prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2). By the way, the Greek word for 'prosper' here is 'eu-od-oo', which actually means 'to be helped (in every good thing), or to succeed in reaching (all that God has called you to be)'.

In Christ, know that you have already been bought by the blood of Jesus. 'Blood-bought'! When He died for you and His blood was shed for you on the cross, He has suffered all for you. Always look to the blood and remember the blood! It is the blood that saves you, and it is also the blood that protects you. And if He has already paid the price in full for you with His blood, and has suffered every form of evil and plague on your behalf, how then can any evil or plague come near you?

The Lord goes before you and makes your crooked places straight!

Isaiah 45:2 (NKJV): 'I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron'.

Every term in the Bible has a meaning, such as names, numbers, colours, places, and even metals! For example, the metal 'gold' symbolizes 'God Himself, His kingship, or His kingdom glory', whereas the metal 'silver' symbolizes 'redemption, or the price of a soul'.

How about 'bronze' and 'iron' then?

In Hebrew understanding, 'bronze' symbolizes 'judgement on sin, judgement on man, disobedience of man, or even human (fleshly) works/methods'. So, 'bronze' here in Isaiah 45:2 speaks of man's way, fleshly way, sinful way, or worldly methods.

'Iron' meanwhile symbolizes 'prison, bondage, stronghold, or inflexible rule', and therefore speaks of 'spiritual strongholds (or blockages) put by the enemy to hinder one's progress in life'.

Recently, the Lord released these words during a time of worship and prayer: 
"This is a time to re-visit the prophecies you have received from Me. This is also a time to refresh and remind yourself of the visions, dreams or words spoken to you in the recent years."

People of God, as you cross the 'threshold' into a new season in your life, the Lord has also promised you with Isaiah 45:2, that 'He is going before you and makes the crooked places straight before you'. Not only that, He will also break in pieces the 'gates of bronze' and cut the 'bars of iron' as He opens the way for you! This promise is especially for those who have not had much breakthrough in the past 6 months. But God is telling you today that He is breaking every work of flesh and cutting every spiritual stronghold that had hindered you in the past months!

And then, I heard further from the Lord as I was praying:
"This is a breakthrough time! The holy anointing oil that breaks every yoke is pouring out in the spiritual realm right now! Never miss this time and season! This is not the time to ask for a trickle, but this is the time to ask for an outpouring of My Spirit!"

Isaiah 59:19 says, 'So shall they (the enemy) fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him'. The word 'flood' here is 'nahar' in Hebrew, which can mean 'to sparkle, to be cheerful (or be of good cheer)'! Now, not all 'floods' in the Bible are bad. Contrary to some interpretations on Isaiah 59:19, this 'flood' mentioned in this verse speaks of the flood that comes from the Lord (like an outpouring of the Holy Spirit) that destroys, devastates, and uproots every stronghold of the enemy! And nothing, whatsoever, and no power (or work) of darkness can withstand this mighty rushing waters that comes from the Lord!

Jesus Himself promised in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, (for) I have overcome the world."

Now, here's another example of the flood that comes from the Lord! In Isaiah 44:3, the Lord says, "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring." Amen!

Have you had a sudden sense of being purposeless recently? Or you were tempted to give up everything, maybe even life itself? Or you felt like there seemed to be no more meaning in your life.

You know the 'enemy' is after you (especially your mind or your thought) when whatever you do in life seems purposeless, and you are even tempted to end it all (or end your life). The reasons for all these are more often spiritual. In other words, an 'attack' in the mind (or the thought) is more often than not a spiritual issue, and spiritual issue is to be dealt with spiritually!

Beloved, take heart, because your answer is at the cross. Secular or worldly methods will never point you to the cross, and will never involve the power of the Holy Spirit. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (secular, worldly, fleshly) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (see 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Jesus has carried all these 'attacks' when He died for you on the cross. He wore the crown of thorns (which speaks of the 'attack on His mind'), so that you can now wear the crown of (His) glory. Look up (Psalm 24:7-10), and look to all that Jesus has done for you at the cross all over again! He cannot and will not fail you, because His love (for you) never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Believe and receive the promise in Isaiah 45:2 this day (and even in your next 6 months), because that's how God is going to lead you from this juncture (or crossroad). Believe, and you'll have it. You don't belong to the falling away, but you belong to the Great Outpouring. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.