August 2022 Prophetic Word: Press
I’ve been lingering on and marinating in this word for the last week. When I began asking the Lord about it at the end of last month, He gave me a few picture illustrations – wine, oil, and a flower press. When something is pressed, pressure is put on it in the form of physical force. It can be a verb or a noun. In each case, flattening, shaping, smoothing, and / or extracting can be part of the process.The most amazing things can come from being pressed – wine and oil are two of them. It takes a lot of work to extract even a minimum yield from a lot of grapes and olives, but the fruit of the labor is often highly prized, especially when given time to age and mature.
Pressed flowers are a delicate thing of beauty. I have an antique flower press given to me 30 years ago by my mother-in-law. It had been given to her by her parents before that. It’s made of thick, heavy pieces of wood and has a big, corkscrew handle that you screw down tightly with flowers or plants nestled between sheets of paper placed between the slabs of wood. In the coming days, the screw handle is tightened even more as the flowers continue to be pressed until the moisture is removed and the petals and leaves become nearly transparent when dry. In each of these, increased force, effort, and time are needed for the pressing to have its effect. We’re in a time of pressing. What will come out when we’re squeezed?
This month we’ll see an outpouring of Holy Spirit, represented by the oil and wine. It’s a time to believe for the miraculous and to be the ones through whom God works to bring about those miracles. Press into Him with the pressure of faith and trust and you’ll see Him work miracles through you!
This is also a month of outpoured blessing, but it will only come as a result of pressure. Oil and wine are also filtered, allowing impurities to be strained out. There’s a “taste and see that the Lord is good” element of wine and oil flowing abundantly, but it can only follow the pressing required for it to flow, as well as filtering, and it may need time to mature to come into its fullness.
This month we’ll see an outpouring of Holy Spirit, represented by the oil and wine. It’s a time to believe for the miraculous and to be the ones through whom God works to bring about those miracles. Press into Him with the pressure of faith and trust and you’ll see Him work miracles through you!
This is also a month of outpoured blessing, but it will only come as a result of pressure. Oil and wine are also filtered, allowing impurities to be strained out. There’s a “taste and see that the Lord is good” element of wine and oil flowing abundantly, but it can only follow the pressing required for it to flow, as well as filtering, and it may need time to mature to come into its fullness.
This is a month to become a thing of beauty through the pressing – even to the point of transparency, like the pressed flowers, with nothing hidden in His sight. As I thought more about this, I also saw a potter molding clay. We’re each going to be molded (pressed) this month – shaped, smoothed, rough edges flattened out. Don’t complain or question it. It’s for destiny’s sake (Isaiah 45:9-11, TPT).It’s important to be discerning in what you listen to this month. Whose report will you believe? This is the Hebrew month when the Israelites chose to believe the negative report of the 10 spies, rather than believe the report of the two who were in the minority. They chose to stand in unbelief and not enter the Promised Land with faith to conquer and take hold of what God had promised them. It delayed them 40 years.
Filter what you hear and be discerning in your understanding of it. What actions will you take based on the reports you hear? We each have promises from God that have to be obtained through faith and it may mean taking risks to stand with the minority report. We get to choose what we’re going to believe, and that choice will bring celebration or delay.
Filter what you hear and be discerning in your understanding of it. What actions will you take based on the reports you hear? We each have promises from God that have to be obtained through faith and it may mean taking risks to stand with the minority report. We get to choose what we’re going to believe, and that choice will bring celebration or delay. Embrace the pressing and press into Him with a return pressure of faith. Be discerning in what you listen to and the corresponding decisions you make. Allow time for maturing and aging.
NEW WINE, Hillsong Worship, Songwriter: Brooke Gabrielle Fraser, New Wine lyrics © Hillsong Publishing.
Living for Him,
Andrea & Brian
P.S. If we can pray for you, please reach out to us.
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
JULY PROPHETIC WORD: DIG
Ahhh . . . This word makes me excited! SO many things immediately come to mind!
When I hear “dig,” I begin to think of wells and dirt and gardening.
I think of taking a look deep within and acknowledging both the amazing things found inside of us, as well as recognizing ways we can become better versions of ourselves by His grace.
I think of how we can find courage and strength within that we may not have known we possessed – especially in the face of challenging situations.
I think of stubbornly digging our heels in, which can be an asset (perseverance) or a hindrance (willfulness).
It also makes me think of a runner digging their heels into a starting block, getting their best footing for bursting forward with tremendous speed.
I sense His longing to dig deep wells within us this month.
Wells were a BIG deal throughout the Bible, but perhaps one of the most beautiful stories captured in scripture was the story of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman at the well. I love how in The Passion Translation, this story in John 4:1-30 is titled “The Thirsty Savior.” He may have asked her for a drink, but He wasn’t asking her for water. Water wouldn’t satisfy the thirst within Him – only SHE would. When I read Brian Simmon’s note on verses 4-6 earlier this year, I was utterly undone.
“The ‘water’ Jesus wanted was the refreshing, satisfying pleasure of her devotion. He says to each one of us, ‘Nothing satisfies me except you.’ When the sinner drank of the Savior and the Savior drank of the sinner, both were satisfied. Neither ate or drank, but each satisfied the other.”
Dig deep in His presence. Be the well He drinks from and let His living water be the spring within you. You’ll be satisfied in ways you’ve never known before, and it will be more than enough for you.
Who knows? Just like Fontina, you might not be able to help yourself and will tell others your own “meeting a Man at the well” story of how He LOVED you no matter what He knew about you! (vs. 29) Meetings at the well ignite revival fire and you could be the spark!
Whether digging wells or gardens, the type of soil you’re digging into determines how easy or hard the job will be. The truth is even challenging soil can be improved and conditioned so it provides the best environment for seeds to take root and grow. We’re never without hope! This month, there’s an invitation to let the Lord to dig deep within us, allow Him to get rid of the stony places in our hearts, and prepare our soil for all He wants to plant within us knowing He’s already anticipating a GREAT harvest!
“I will give you a new heart and put a new 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…” (Ezekiel 36:26-27a, NKJV)
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “dig”? It’s likely an indication of the ways in which the Lord wants to work this word in and through you this month. This is a very personalized word that’s an invitation to each of us for further conversation with Him.
Dig in, my friend! Dig in!
Living for Him,
Andrea & Brian
P.S. If we can pray for you, please reach out to us.
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
JUNE PROPHETIC WORD: PAUSE
I never would have imagined “pause” would follow last month’s “forward” word, but it actually makes total sense. Brian and I were talking about it as the month of May came to a close and he agreed. He said after moving forward, it’s the perfect time to pause and gain your bearings. As soon as he said that it resonated so deeply in my spirit, that I knew the Lord was all over that phrase. Even though I knew what it meant, I still looked it up knowing the Lord would speak even more through its definition.From “The Free Dictionary,” the idiom “to gain your bearings” means “to recognize or determine one’s orientation, position, or abilities relative to one’s surroundings or situation.”
This is a month to gain our bearings as we’re positioned to advance.
It’s important as we’ve moved forward and God has been aligning us with our destinies, callings, and timelines that we pause, orient ourselves, get acquainted with where we’ve come to in this new season and take an assessment of any new abilities we now need. I got the sense that this month of pausing, will include learning and obtaining new skills or tools through trainings, courses, and reading. The Lord has moved us forward into new realms of influence and that may require us gaining additional knowledge that will increase our abilities, enabling us to better administrate our responsibilities.
As we pause, it’s a time to look at the map the Lord has laid out before each of us. There are two purposes for this. First, it’s an opportunity to recognize and celebrate how far we’ve already come on the journey the Lord has had us on. I clearly heard it’s a time to remember your testimonies of the things the Lord has already done in your life as you’ve moved forward. It will encourage your heart, cause hope to rise up within you, and will strengthen you for the journey ahead. Our testimonies are significant in their declaration of what God has done in our lives because they set a precedent that if God has done it before, He’ll do it again (albeit differently than before). Celebrate what He’s done and let joy and gratitude overflow from your heart and spirit!
The second reason to pause and look at the map with the Lord is to gain a sense of the direction we’re headed in as we advance. It’s to orient us, set the course, and align us on the road before us as things are going to begin to move swiftly after this month. I also saw it as an invitation to more closely work in partnership with the Lord as He shares His bird’s eye view with us. I saw a picture of us standing singly beside the Lord, looking together at the map laid out on a table before us. He was pointing things out on the map and giving direction that will lead each of us as we continue to move forward in the second half of the year.Pausing is also for a time of rest. It’s a time to catch your breath, take a break from the intensity of the day-to-day, and refresh in body, spirit, and soul. Rest is active, even if you’re napping. Ask the Lord how to engage in His active rest this month. It may mean getting to certain projects you’ve waited to have time to do because they were “wants” instead of “needs” and other things took precedence in the time you had available. I see gardening happening and the Lord speaking as you have your hands in the dirt. I also see other home projects happening, including rearranging furniture and spaces for new or better function. These are physical, prophetic acts of reorientation for what’s ahead. June is a month to complete things that have taken a back seat to other things that were more pressing in the first half of the year. It’s important to complete things that were left hanging in the past season so you can more easily move forward better aligned for the rest of this year. This is a pivotal month of alignment.
This year, we celebrate Pentecost on June 5th. Ask for and expect a refreshing wind of His Spirit to blow over and empower you for what’s ahead. Expect to have your eyes opened to see what you haven’t been able to see previously as He’s going to expand your vision through increased anointing in your life.
This is also the Hebrew month of Sivan. It’s associated with the tribe of Zebulun and is considered to be “the businessperson’s month.” Ask the Lord for His orientation in business this month. “Business” can relate to any of the ways the Lord blesses the work of your hands – even if that’s outside of the “business” field. This month, God is going to be giving downloads of wisdom, strategy, and blueprints in the area of the work of your hands. Take the time to ask Him about your work. Listen to His leading and guidance and watch for open doors of opportunities and connections with strategic alliances / alignments with others. There’s an orientation and alignment happening in the realm of business this month that will position you for increase in the second half of the year. His word declares, “You crown the year with Your goodness and Your paths drip with abundance” (Psalm 65:11, NKJV). It's important for you to listen and keep your ear attuned to His voice, then act on the direction and strategies He gives you. You have an important role to play in how the rest of this year unfolds in the work of your hands. Give Him your "yes," be willing to be uncomfortable, and willing to take risks.
Be generous in the month of Sivan. Give of your resources, but also of kindness, forgiveness, and mercy. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38, NKJV).In June, pause to get oriented and equipped, celebrate what the Lord has already done, rest, refresh in His presence and power of Holy Spirit, and listen as He downloads strategies and blueprints and positions you for swift advancement in the second half of the year. Be particularly mindful of business strategies, alignments, connections, and open doors. Be generous.
Pause in order to advance!
Living for Him,
Andrea & Brian
P.S. If we can pray for you, please reach out to us. Also, Brian and I each have a men's and a women's online group that we lead. The women's is a prophetic intercessory prayer group; the men's is prayer and mentoring. Both are free. Please reach out if you'd like more information or would be interested in joining either group.
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Ever have difficulty getting your thoughts to quiet when you lay your head on your pillow at night? Try applying Surrender to your outer ears at bedtime. Let go and rest...Peace is found in Surrender. ❤️️
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
UNVEILING JESUS
You know when you layer a filter over a photo and it changes what the subject of the photo looked like in person? It might be nearly imperceptible to others or totally transforming, like when you simply brighten a photo or completely change a color one into one that looks black and white or vintage. We do the same in every aspect of life. We all view any number of things through filters. What veils our eyes may be the result of past experiences, teaching we’ve had, the homes in which we grew up, the friends we’ve surrounded ourselves with, culture, media, those who have been in positions of leadership or authority in our lives, or any number of other things.
It’s the same with our perception of Jesus.
We “know” Jesus through the filters of religion, through what we’ve been taught by our parents and church leaders, by how we see Christians act and how they treat others, by what unbelievers say and believe about Him, by the disappointments we’ve faced, and the suffering we've seen. Not only that, culture, media, politics, and so many other things in the world around us shape our “truth”.
Do you know there are multiple places in the Bible that talk about a time to come when Jesus would be unveiled? (You can find a few in John 17:1, Philippians 1:6 & 10.) That time has come.
God is unveiling the truth of who Jesus really is and who He’s not. He longs to remove the filters from before our eyes so we can finally see Him clearly and experience deep, intimate friendship with Him.
Sometimes, you simply need someone to help you lift the veil or remove the filter you've been using, allowing you to clearly see what's been right before you.
Jesus is all about relationship, not religion. Come encounter Him.
STARTING THIS WEEK!6 Week Online Course, May 12th – June 16th
Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. EST – FB Live* (Recorded so you can still catch it even if you can’t make the live.)
Thursday Night Topics: Relationship, Not Religion; Made to Worship; Communion & Communing; Chatting with the King; When Life Gets Real; “Swept Off Your Feet”
Plus, “Coffee & Conversation” – Tuesday mornings 8:00 a.m. EST (Join us on FB* with your cup of coffee or tea in hand as we have a chat about that morning's topic. These are bonus sessions that will also be recorded.)
Coffee & Conversation Topics: Hope, the Prophetic, the Supernatural Aspects of God & Heaven, Decreeing & Declaring, Being the Church, Live Q & A
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Those who seek Him find Him…
Chase after His heart.
Know Him in truth…and be known in love.
Register to be added to the group.
*Not on FaceBook? Ask us about other options.
Living for Him,
Andrea & Brian
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
