Words from the Lord: "God is turning things around from crisis to clarity!"

God wants to tell you this:

"This is the month I am turning your confusion to clarity, and your crisis to breakthrough! What is 'gloomy' and 'grey' shall be turned to 'blue skies'! Do not lose heart therefore, for I, the Lord, am still working behind the scenes, and even in ways that you know not of yet." 

God says further:

"Look to Me and keep trusting in My plans and destiny for you. Do not look at those crises and confusion, but look to Me who is Sovereign and Almighty. For I am the Lord your God, and there is no other." 

In Isaiah 45:22, the Lord says, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." 

The word 'saved' here is 'yasha' in Hebrew. This word has a broad meaning. It can mean 'delivered, rescued, helped, preserved, defended, avenged, set free'. 

Beloved of God, as you look to Him, He will know how to deliver you, rescue you, help you, preserve you, defend you, avenge for you, and set you free! 

The word 'crisis' can mean 'an unstable, dangerous, difficult, or crucial situation that one is facing'. 'Crisis' can also mean 'a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in one's life'. 

Maybe you too are facing a crisis at the moment, or maybe you are in a state of confusion about a situation, not knowing what is happening and not knowing what to do. Take heart. The Lord your God is not dead. He is still very much alive in your situation. He is saying to you that He is visiting you right now. He will know how to bring clarity to you. Many things will become much clearer. And He will know how to give you the breakthrough that you need.

Your part is to keep trusting Him and keep looking to Him, and have patience. Endure. Persevere. Do not give up. 

The word 'clarity' can have three major meanings: 

1. Being free from any form of confusion or ambiguity.

2. Clearness as to the understanding or perception of certain matters. 

3. The state of being clear in one's spiritual eyes of understanding.

Ephesians 1:17-19 (NKJV) says, 'That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.' 

Let this power of God fill you right now. Let this power of God set you free from whatever crisis, confusion, or limitation that the devil (or the enemy) puts against you!

One example in the Scripture is in the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis.

In Genesis 39, Joseph was sold by his own brothers, and he was taken to Egypt to become a slave. Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites. Joseph was then falsely accused of seducing Potiphar's wife, and was thrown into the prison!

In other words, it was a crisis for Joseph. He was also probably in a state of confusion as to why all this happened to him. 

Maybe you too are in a situation where there's just no breakthrough in sight. You just cannot see any form of breakthrough in your life at the moment. You feel bound. You feel limited. It's like as if there's a 'lid' over your head. You cannot break that 'ceiling'. You are bound by the limitations that people around you (or the enemy) put against you, and you are now feeling trapped. 

Whatever it may be, be encouraged, because your help is at hand. The Lord is here. The Lord is here to 'yasha' you. To save you. To deliver you. To rescue you. Yes, even to avenge for you. As long as your heart draws near to the Lord who is Almighty and All-knowing, you need not fear. 

In Genesis 40, in spite of all the external 'darkness' in the prison that Joseph experienced, Joseph continued to walk with God. Even though in the physical realm, he was imprisoned, but in the spiritual realm, God was doing something in his life. God was working behind the scenes. God was preparing Joseph for something greater!

One day, when Pharaoh's butler and baker had dreams that bothered them greatly, Joseph was able to interpret their dreams. You see, God can open doors for you in ways that you cannot imagine yet. And that's what happened to Joseph! 

Fast forward two years later, when Pharaoh himself had a dream and a subsequent dream, and no one could interpret those dreams, that same butler remembered Joseph. The butler told Pharaoh about Joseph, and Joseph successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dreams. 

You see, Joseph had a spiritual understanding and perception that no one else in Egypt had. Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord!

Genesis 41:37-39 (NKJV) says, 'So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you."' 

Joseph knew it's not him. It's God. It's God who worked in him. It's by the Spirit of the Lord. Pharaoh then promoted Joseph to be second only to himself over all of Egypt. The unthinkable happened! From a slave to become a prime minister! From crisis to breakthrough! From confusion to clarity!

The same it is for you. God's plan be accomplished for you! God's purpose be accomplished for you! God's destiny be accomplished for you! God's will be done for you! 

Declare by faith that you are set free! Lift up your hands towards God, and declare that your 'yasha' is at hand! You are being set free! You are being delivered! The Lord's help has come! You are free from any 'limitation' or 'bondage' set by the enemy against you! You are free from any form of confusion or crisis that the enemy has caused you to be in! You are free to be who God wants you to be! You are free to walk into your breakthrough and victory, going forward! Hallelujah!

I declare by faith that God has taken away all those 'gloominess' around you! God has given you the clarity! God's light has come, and this light is now shining upon you! Amen! 

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Words from the Lord: "I will bring clarity to you this year!"

The Lord says: 

"As you look forward to this new year, walk ever closer with Me. Let My Spirit fill your life. Let My Spirit lead you and guide you. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit. Even though there may be chaos and confusion in the world around you, I will bring clarity to you. You may not understand many things that have happened in your past, but many things are going to become clearer and clearer to you. You will begin to understand the many things that I am doing in your life. You will begin to see how I see. Look to Me and be led by Me, and you will see greater victories and breakthroughs this year." 

Yes, be led by the Holy Spirit every step of the way! Follow His footsteps, so to speak. He will know how to lead you, step by step, no matter what happens in the world around you, or what you see in the world around you. And look here. Your victory and breakthrough is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. I'm going to explain what this verse means. 

So, let's dive straight into this verse. Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) says, 'So he (the angel) answered and said to me (Zechariah): This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts.' 

Who was Zechariah? 'Zechariah' is 'Zekar Yah' in Hebrew, which simply means 'YHWH remembers'. To apply this in your life, indeed the Lord remembers you and remembers His covenant with you. You see, Israel was blessed because YHWH remembers the covenant He made with His people those days. 

Zechariah was a prophet and a priest in his days, having been born in exile during the seventy years of captivity in Babylon. But what happened here is the time came when God's people began returning to Jerusalem from Babylon. Zechariah was one of those who returned to Jerusalem. Here, the Lord used him to inspire the people to look to the Lord and to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem that has been destroyed. 

Who was Zerubbabel then? He too was among those returning to Jerusalem from Babylon, and as a governor, he was to take the lead in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Now, that's when the Lord spoke these words to Zerubbabel through the prophet Zechariah: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit'. 

By the way, the name 'Zerubbabel' means 'descendant of Babylon'. 'Babylon' speaks of 'the ways of this world (the ways of this fallen world)'. This word 'Babylon' comes from the word 'Babel', meaning 'confusion'. This speaks of 'the fallen ways of the world', or 'people doing things by their own might or power'. Remember the Tower of Babel in the Book of Genesis chapter 11? 

So, for Zerubbabel here, even though he had this noble calling of rebuilding God's temple in Jerusalem, God also wanted him to build it in God's ways, and not in the ways of this fallen world. In other words, not in the 'Babylonian ways' that he grew up learning. You see, God needed to tell this to Zerubbabel because Zerubbabel might still be influenced by the Babylonian ways of doing things. And that's when the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." By the Spirit of the Lord! 

Let's do a little study now on the words 'might', 'power', and 'Spirit', as written in Zechariah 4:6. 

The word 'might' here is 'khahyil' in Hebrew. It can mean 'force, power, riches, strength (whether of human or other worldly resources)'. 

The word 'power' here is 'kowach' in Hebrew. It can mean 'human ability or capacity, own human produce (including power of human persuasion or flattery)'. 

On the other hand, the word 'Spirit' is 'ruwach' in Hebrew. It can mean 'breath, spirit'. In the context of our study today, it means 'by the breath of God'. In other words, 'by His breath (that He breathes into you)'. 

Back to Zerubbabel now. Now you know Zerubbabel grew up in the Babylonian ways. And he was very likely still influenced by the Babylonian ways of doing things, which is 'by their own human might or power'. 

But God is saying there's a higher way! God's way! God's wisdom! God's revelation! 

Many believers today are like Zerubbabel. We are so used to the ways of this world (or the Babylonian ways) to achieve success, or to do business, or to go about our lives. Or even doing ministry in ways influenced by the Babylonian ways. Building own empire instead of building God's kingdom. Making a name for ourselves instead of giving God all the glory. Now, it may look like a success initially, but it also brings with it the loss of joy, conscience being compromised, and even getting unnecessarily overly stressed up. 

Now, don't get me wrong. God does give wisdom for us to live on earth, whatever our calling or vocation. He wants to see us having good success on earth. But God is also saying that it is by His wisdom and revelation. It is by learning to depend on the Lord, and lean not on our own human might or power. Yeah, trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding. In all our ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

So, let's not repeat the same mistakes as those who tried to build the Tower of Babel those days in the Book of Genesis. Let's look to the Lord's way instead. How? By allowing the Holy Spirit to lead. Now, when I say this, I'm saying this to myself too. Let us all humble ourselves as we look to the Lord this year. 

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NKJV) says, 'And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.' 'Power' here is 'the empowering and enabling of the Holy Spirit, instead of human's own power or human's own ability'. 

A few verses later, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV) says, 'But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.' 

Yeah, the things that the world cannot see and understand, because their understanding has been darkened. But if you yield your life to the Lord, He will enlighten your spiritual eyes so that you can see how He sees. He will reveal to you the deeper things of the Spirit that the world doesn't know. He will also show you His wisdom. 'Wisdom' simply means 'knowing what to do and how to go about in your life'. Yes, this applies in your career, in your business, in the ministry that God has called you, and in every aspect of your life.

Romans 8:14 (NKJV) says, 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.' See the words here: 'led by the Spirit of God'. 

So beloved, as we begin this new year, let the Holy Spirit fill us all in all. Let the Holy Spirit fill us to the overflow. Let the Spirit of God release upon us the wisdom and revelation that we need to see real good success on this earth. 

Let us pray: 

"O Lord God, we want to be led by Your Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts right now. Fill us to the overflow. We need You even more and more, as we look forward in this new year. We want to be led and be guided by You every step of the way. We receive now Your wisdom and revelation. You have spoken today that You will bring clarity in our lives. We'll begin to understand the many things that You are doing in our lives. We'll begin to see how You see. So right now, at the beginning of the year, we entrust our lives entirely to You. Come take over our lives. Come do as You want in our lives. We yield to You. We submit to You. We humble ourselves before You. Indeed it is not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit, as You have spoken today. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

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Words from the Lord: "I will make things clear for you!"

The Lord says: 

"If you are in a state of confusion or chaos at the moment, seek Me and you will find Me. For I am not a God of confusion or chaos. I will show you the way forward. I will show you the clear path ahead. Things will become clearer and clearer, as you seek Me and look to Me. Let go of whatever past that holds you back, and get hold of Me. You will begin to see clearer and clearer along the way. You will begin to see and understand how I see and what I see for your life and your future." 

This applies whether in your career, in the ministry, in your business, or in any area of your life. So, take heart, beloved, if you have many "questions" about your life that are unanswered at the moment, or if you don't know what to do or how to go about in your life, at this juncture of your life. 

Just look at David when he ended up in the cave of Adullam. It was a chaotic situation prior to that. And he even had to pretend madness. 

Look here at 1 Samuel 21:10-12. That was the time when David was being "hunted" or pursued relentlessly by King Saul who was jealous of him. 'Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?" Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.' 

So, what did David do? 1 Samuel 21:13-14 says, 'So David changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see that man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?"' 

King Achish obviously didn't think that was the David the servants were talking about. Now, you might say, "What happened?" That was a far cry from the time when he slain the ten thousands! 

Or maybe in your situation, you too may be asking, "What happened to the dreams and prophecies regarding myself and my future?" 

Maybe you are struggling with life at the moment. Maybe you are in a state of confusion at the moment. Maybe you do not know what to do anymore, going forward. Now, that was probably how David felt at that time as well. You see, you are not alone.  

If you rewind back to 1 Samuel 16, just about five chapters back, David was at that time anointed to be king by prophet Samuel, and supposedly having a great destiny and future. He was the rising star in his land, so to speak. But what happened now? Has God forgotten His promises and words to David? This was likely in David's mind at that time when he pretended madness. He must be wondering how did he reach such a low point in his life? Wasn't his destiny supposed to be great? Wasn't his destiny was to be king, as spoken by prophet Samuel? It's like the whole world came crashing down on David. He was running for his life. He was escaping from King Saul. He even had to pretend madness, just to conceal his identity! 

See what happened next. 1 Samuel 22:1 says, 'David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.' Now, 'cave' here speaks of 'darkness, fear, out in the cold'. Indeed, it was a 'cave' experience for David at that time. He was fleeing from King Saul, and he had nowhere to go. So he hid in the cave. 

Maybe you too are feeling the same at the moment regarding your career, your ministry, or in any area of your life. Maybe you don't know what to do and how to go about at this juncture anymore. Maybe you are at a 'crossroad' and you don't know which way to go. Maybe you don't see much hope in your future.

1 Samuel 22:2 says, 'And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to David.' In other words, the outcasts, the overlooked, and the misfits in the society at that time. And some of them were there with David. These were the people bitter in their souls. The broken people. 

Instead of being surrounded by dignitaries or the powerful people in the palace, David at that time saw himself surrounded by these broken people. And the Scripture says, 'So David became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.' Yes, in the cave. Having the same 'cave' experience. And even at the time when David himself was broken, God could still use him to touch the other broken people in the cave and raise them up.

To cut the whole story short, these broken people eventually became some of David's most faithful and powerful men (when David became king later in his life). In the darkness of the cave of Adullam, David became like a 'light' to these people. As time went by, these same people were renewed. Their hope rekindled. They were changed. They were transformed. Hallelujah!

You see, of all places, it was in that cave that God began to make clear David's path, the path that eventually led to him becoming the king in Israel. 

I believe one thing David had inside of him that made the difference is he's a worshiper of the Lord. Deep inside him, he has this deep relationship with the Lord. He has this deep faith and assurance in the Lord that the Lord isn't dead, and the Lord hasn't forgotten him. Deep inside him, he trusted in the Lord, and knew it's not over yet for him. He knew the Lord still remembers His promises and destiny for him. 

This 'cave' experience became like a base where David rose up again. In fact, stronger than ever before. You see, at that time, David could have crumbled and given up everything. He could have regressed into a lonely man, or turned into a miserable man. But, no. He didn't. With the Lord in him and with him; and by the grace of God, he rose up. And it was here that he became the leader of this group of seemingly 'useless' people in the eyes of the society. Not just that. They even turned into mighty warriors of the Lord! 

In 2 Samuel 23, the time nearing the end of David's life, you can see the summary of the great things done by some of these mighty men who served with David. And some of them were actually among the four hundred in the cave of Adullam! 

Cross-reference to Psalm 142:3. David prayed this when he was in the cave of Adullam. 'When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path...' Yes, the Lord knew his path. And beloved, the Lord knows your path too. Now, the word 'overwhelmed' here is 'ataph' in Hebrew. Interestingly, this word can mean 'in darkness, in chaos, in confusion'. Exactly like what the Lord has spoken today!

You see, the Lord will know how to show you the path forward, if you look to Him and seek Him. He always sees the 'big picture'. He always sees the end from the beginning, even when you can't. Your part is to be patient. Keep focusing on the Lord, not on your own situation or your own doubts. Everything will become clearer and clearer when you look to the Lord. 

So beloved, whatever 'cave' experience that you are going through at the moment, take heart. Keep looking to the Lord and trusting in the Lord. Do you know that God does great things in the cave? Let me show you the proof. Elijah was in the cave when God spoke to him further about the details of what's to come, and about what he should be doing, going forward. In fact, Jesus Himself was in the cave where His tomb was (yes, that was a kind of cave), before He resurrected! 

You see? Your 'cave' experience; seemingly in the dark, and seemingly not knowing what comes next; can be where God begins a new dawn in your life, where God begins a new work in your life, and where God prepares you for something great in the future! 

Like David in the cave! 

Like Elijah in the cave! 

Like Jesus Himself in the cave! 

Let us remember Proverbs 3:5-6 that says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.' 

Indeed, things are going to become clearer and clearer, as you seek the Lord, as you surrender yourself before the Lord, and as you continue to put your trust in the Lord. 

He will know how to direct your paths. He will know how to show you the way. He will know how to lead you into His destiny for your life. Amen! 

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Entering a season of clarity!

The Lord spoke these words for this time and season:
"This is a season I am giving clarity to My people! This is a season My people shall be set free from whatever that limits their spiritual eyes of understanding!"

The Lord spoke further:
"When everyone else is blur, My people will be clear! For I am raising up a people who are clear in their spiritual perception and spiritual understanding. Like Joseph, even when he was surrounded by the dark prison!"

The word 'clarity' here can be defined as 'clearness as to perception/understanding; free from ambiguity (or blurriness); the state of being clear to the (spiritual) eye'; whereas 'spiritual perception' means 'the ability to see, hear or become aware of something through your spiritual senses'.

Ephesians 1:17-19 (NKJV) says, 'that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power'.

Indeed, people of God, when everyone else in the world is blur, you are clear! Let the anointing of the Holy Spirit fill you right now, and set you free from any form of 'limitation' against your spirit!

One example you can see in the Bible is Joseph. You may read Genesis chapters 39, 40 and 41, as you walk in this time and season. In Genesis 39, you'd read about Joseph being taken down to Egypt, and how Potiphar (an officer of Pharaoh) bought him from the Ishmaelites. The very word 'Egypt' in Hebrew is 'Mizraim', and this word says it all, literally meaning 'a place of bondage, a place of limitation, being besieged'. However, the Lord was with Joseph. His master saw it, and made Joseph the overseer of his house (Genesis 39:1-5).

As Joseph was good-looking in form and appearance, his master's wife began to cast longing eyes on him, and wanted to 'lie with him'. Joseph refused, and after an 'incident' which was not his doing, his master's wife reported it to her husband. And that was how Joseph ended up in the prison (Genesis 39:6-20). People talk about 'double portion', but here in Joseph's situation, he experienced 'double limitation'. As if being sold as slave in Egypt was not enough, he was now thrown into prison! In other words, he was in a 'double bondage'!

People of God, just like Joseph those days, maybe you too are in a situation where there's just no breakthrough in sight. Far from it, in fact. Not just that, you are 'bound' by the 'limitations' people put against you, and you are now 'trapped'. But take heart. Because as long as your heart draws near to the Lord, He will know how to draw near to you! In Genesis 40, you'd see in spite of all the external 'darkness', 'bondage' and 'limitation' imposed on Joseph, his spirit was never 'limited', and never 'in bondage'. In fact, his spirit was so clear that he could interpret the dreams of the butler and the baker correctly! (Genesis 40:1-14)

Two full years later, Pharaoh had a dream and a subsequent dream; but no one in Egypt could interpret those dreams. No, not the magicians, and not even the wisest men of Egypt! In Genesis 41, you'd see Pharaoh's heart was troubled because of those dreams. The butler then remembered how Joseph interpreted his dream correctly, and he said, "Now there was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him our dreams, and he interpreted our dreams for us... And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us." (Genesis 41:12-13) Hearing this, Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon (Genesis 41:14). And the rest is history. Joseph successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dream, and he even gave sound advice.

You see, Joseph had a spiritual understanding and perception that no one else in Egypt had. And this was acknowledged by Pharaoh, someone who did not even know the Lord! In Genesis 41:37-39, the Scripture says, 'So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you."'

People of God, if Joseph could be 'clear' in his spiritual understanding and perception even from the dark dungeon (surrounded by an atmosphere of negativity), and from a place of bondage, you too can be 'clear' wherever you are in this world! The truth is external 'darkness', 'bondage' and 'limitation' cannot get a hold of your spirit, if you don't allow it!

This is your time to declare that your spirit is set free - free to draw near to the Lord, and free to receive from the Lord! And yes, wherever you are, and in whatever situation you are in right now! May you too be raised up by the Lord to be like the 'Josephs' of today! One in whom is the Spirit of God, and one used by the Lord to change the 'world' around you - through any of the spiritual gifts He has given to you. In Jesus' name. Amen!