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
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
Cost: $150 (payable via Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or check)
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
WHAT ABOUT THE ONE?
I think we each have an innate desire to make a difference in the world. There's a longing in our hearts to make our mark, do something significant, have it be on a large scale, and make a name for ourselves.
It used to be a hope that we'd be remembered for something "great" after we'd left this earth, but now, we want to be known far and wide through social media in the now.
It's no different in the ministry world. The perspective is simply shifted to having a platform that will enable us to reach more people for Jesus. Sometimes that's great; other times, it's still all about self-promotion. I'm not here to judge and won't. I'm simply acknowledging it.
The thing is . . . I'm no different. I want to make a huge difference in the world around me, too. What God has recently been speaking so powerfully to me about is the importance of seeing and reaching the ONE. Yes, multitudes are great. Jesus Himself drew them to Him and spoke to them. Yet, He noticed and stopped for the ONE - the blind man, the Samaritan Woman, the paralyzed man, the woman with the issue of blood, the Centurion . . . In reaching the ONE, He transformed generations - and nations.I've been a lot more focused on the one because that's what God has been prompting me to do. The added bonus? I've found tremendous freedom in letting go of trying to create something larger myself and instead, leaving that up to God and His plans in partnering with me.
What's been amazing to witness is the transformation happening in the lives of the "ONE" and how that's being worked out in families. Families means generations and generations shape culture. Reaching the ONE makes history.
I'm asking God to make me more aware of the ONE in front of me. I can get so task-oriented that I miss people more often than I want to admit. I'm thankful each time He opens my eyes.
Need a conversation or prayer together? Please reach out. I'll stop to make time for you. You're ONE who matters!
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
HIS MIRACLES
“. . . For Your miracles have made us who we are.” Psalm 68:28bSince reading this verse this morning, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
How many of us, including me, have defined ourselves by the things we’ve faced or overcome?
I’m a “survivor” – of childhood sexual abuse, of a bitter divorce between my parents, of a mentally unstable and alcoholic, biological mother, of abandonment, of a relationship with an abusive, alcoholic ex-fiancé. I could continue the list. I’m sure you have your own.
You can’t live life in a broken world and not experience trauma.
Long ago, I stopped viewing myself as a victim . . . but I fully and proudly declared myself to be a “survivor.” It seemed to be a badge of honor giving a nod to my ability to overcome by the grace of God.
That survivor trophy in some ways became a sacred part of my identity that couldn’t be touched. I proudly gave testimony of who I’d become through Jesus, despite the traumas I’ve faced and overcome.
Brian has tried to help me see beyond that definition of myself but was only met with an angry response in return. In my mind, he had no ground to stand on to speak to me about this topic. He’s never had to endure what I have and doesn’t know what it means to survive. Never mind the fact that he’s nearly died more times than we’ve kept track of, and he hasn’t let that define him . . .
This verse created a massive shift within me this morning. I’m not the sum of what I’ve survived. I’m a product of His miracles in my life. The amazing thing? The list of His miracles I’ve experienced is FAR longer than the traumas I’ve faced.
God’s miracles have made you who you are, my friend. Let that truth reshape your thinking, your beliefs, and your identity.
You’re a walking sum of miracles!
Living for Him,
Andrea & Brian
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
FEELING PARALYZED?
God has been speaking to me over and over recently through the story of the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda. Reading the account in The Passion Translation has helped me to see and hear things I’d never noticed before.
You can find the story in John 5: 1-16. You’ll read how Jesus traveled to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts and while there, He went to an area in the city near the Sheep Gate, which is where the sacrificial animals were brought into the temple. The note on this verse makes an observation that “the sick gathered there like bruised, wounded sheep, needing healing” (note, vs.2). I was struck by the recognition that hundreds were lying under the covered porches . . . “all of them waiting for their healing” (vs. 3). The Lord pierced my heart when I read that because I sensed His longing for ALL to be well – then and now. So many are still waiting on God for healing – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually . . .
The man at the pool had been waiting for 38 years. Time after time, he had tried to scramble into the pool when the angel stirred the waters, hoping to be the first in and be healed, yet he was unable to get healed from the source he had relied on for so long.
When Jesus saw him, His first question to the man was, “Do you truly long to be well?” (v. 6b) That may seem like an odd question to ask, but this man had created an identity as “the paralyzed man” and to be able to walk again meant letting go of who he was known as and who he identified himself as being. Life and his approach to it would look very different and feel unfamiliar if he were able to walk again. That was likely a little scary. Did he prefer to remain as he was, or was he willing to let go of how he saw himself? The man never answered Jesus’ direct question. Instead, he made excuses and blamed others for getting there first, “stealing” the healing he was longing for himself, yet he didn’t recognize the Healer who stood before him. How often do we do that ourselves? We blame others when we don’t get what we feel should be ours, we make excuses why we can’t obtain it, and we may even miss the solution being right before us.
Interestingly, in turn, Jesus didn’t respond to what the man said, neither did He pray for him to be healed. Jesus simply said, “Stand up! Pick up your sleeping mat and you will walk!” (v.8) The man had to act in obedience and do what he hadn’t been able to do in 38 years.
In picking up his mat, he also had to break the Jewish Sabbath law that he had lived by all his life and choose to literally step into the new covenant Jesus was making available to him. The law he lived under couldn’t heal, but Jesus was the fulfillment of the law (Matt. 5:17) and healing was found in Him.
The man never questioned Jesus’ command to him. He acted immediately and when he took that step – I think more out of obedience than faith, he was healed, no longer paralyzed but taking steps forward into his destiny. The man didn’t even know Jesus’ name, let alone that He was the Messiah. Yet, he experienced the fullness of Jesus in that encounter – His love, miraculous healing, and also His passionate pursuit of the man’s total freedom in every way, as we’ll soon see.
The crazy thing? The Jewish leaders didn’t rejoice over the miracle of this man’s healing but focused instead on the man breaking the Sabbath law. They were so steeped in religion, they couldn’t rejoice over the freedom that had been gained through relationship. Unfortunately, we still see that in churches and Christian circles today. When Jesus doesn’t fit within religious confines, many find it offensive.As the story continues, Jesus found the man a second time. In this encounter, Jesus affirmed the man’s healing, then told him to “Walk away from your sin so that nothing worse will happen to you” (v.14) Jesus’ words to the man left me confused. What sin had the man committed?
As I spent time in God’s presence asking Him about it, I asked if the man’s sin had been not living life and engaging with his destiny and calling even though paralyzed? Maybe it was that he hadn’t “walked” forward, despite his physical limitations, but instead wasted his life in self-pity? Maybe Jesus was telling him to act and take steps forward in his life because if he didn’t, he would remain “paralyzed” and would end up in an even worse state of hopelessness that would steal life from him in even greater measure. If the man continued to believe he was useless, powerless, too many years had been wasted, and he was too old to make a difference now, he would remain just as paralyzed as he had been when he couldn’t walk and that would be a sin. How often do we do and think similarly?
I believe Jesus was telling the man that he still had life to live and purpose to embrace. He was to walk forward, leave the past behind, and not allow what he had known previously in his life to keep him paralyzed from moving into all that still lay ahead of him. If he wasn’t willing to do that, he would continue sinning by remaining paralyzed by his past mindset and perspective of his life.
The story doesn’t record how the man discovered Jesus’ identity, but he went back to the Jewish leaders and told them who had healed him. It ignited the Jewish leaders’ persecution of Jesus – all because of what Jesus did on the Sabbath and how it broke their religious laws (v. 16).
So many of us remain in a paralyzed state each day. We allow mindsets, beliefs we have about ourselves and perceived limitations, as well as any number of accepted obstacles to prevent us from taking steps forward into our destinies and callings. We don’t engage in the things God is telling us to do because we don’t believe we’re able, worthy, or young or old enough to accomplish the dreams God has placed in our hearts. We’re afraid we’ll stumble and fall, so we stay put, never venturing to stand up, pick up our mats, and walk.
I believe many have been paralyzed for a long time – even decades. God is able to make you walk. He’s inviting you to stand up and take the first step into all He has waiting for you. Your future doesn’t have to look like your past or your present.
Will you stand up? Will you let go of the identity you’ve embraced as your own and be willing to walk forward in the truth of who you’ve been created to be? Will you allow God to redeem “wasted” time and make something beautiful out of your testimony?
If your answer is yes, paralysis ends now.
If we can pray for you on your healing journey, please reach out to us!
Living for Him,
Andrea & Brian
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
