revelation
The road of revelation
“You are the revelation-light in my darkness, and in your brightness I can see the path ahead” Psalm 18:28 TPT.
Financial revival is in the air. That’s what my senior pastor Brian Houston has declared over the Hillsong congregation for the year of 2019.
Revival happens corporately when individuals personally experience revival.
Some synonyms of revival are advancement, comeback, improvement, upswing, restoration and resurrection!
Yes and amen. I want in on that.
The godly outcome of financial revival for believers is that it enables the church body to take care of their own families, share with their faith community, invest in good noble causes, leave an inheritance to the next generation and be generous - a blessing to the world.
Any prophetic word needs our partnership and decree to see it become our own personal reality.
For me, this word seems timely and strategic; right on point with what God is already up to in my life. It’s an echo of a voice already heard and a process already started. It rings true. Confirms and reassures. And how important to weigh a word like that. Against THE Word and your own Rhema words that are highlighted and quickened in your spirit for the season you’re in and about to step into by faith.
Let me testify to what practical partnership with a word of God can look like.
I am not naturally great with numbers nor money. I have to work at being wise and knowledgeable to steward well what God each month entrusts me to steward.
I’ve had to debunk some false beliefs around finances. One of them being that it’s selfish to take care of myself and my household. The great focus on giving in churches had me swing on the extreme pendulum of giving what I didn’t have for years! I gave out of weakness, not strength. The result was debt.
Even though the bible never calls debt a sin-issue, it is never mentioned in a positive light as the higher road, the wisdom way, either. It talks about it crippling and enslaving me though culture calls debt natural and necessary. Culture sells consumer debt as attractive to keep up with the Joneses so you can own a house, new furniture and a car at 30. But who says that’s where you need to be at? After all, mere appearances are not what we’re called to aim after. Nor to live similar lives. Rather, solid foundations and depth (not debt) manifesting from the inside out is how the upside down kingdom works. Integrity matters. Not what you have, when you have it or what it looks like to others.
Side note is, your debt spiritually speaking is paid for in full so no condemnation here if you have debt! Also, there are good and bad debt. There’s so much to say on this and nuances too I won’t go into here.
The point is, I needed a revelation of how a poverty mindset made me live in lack and neglect of my what was within my own yard to garden. I needed revelation-light to shine on the unhealthy parts of my heart that looked down on those not sacrificing in the way I did. I needed excuses to stop and false beliefs to be broken. I needed to believe I could get victory in this area. Maybe you need that too?
As my need for revelation in this area was revealed, I began to search for it and have hope that even though I’m neither a practical, detailed or math-wired person, I can learn to practically outwork the financial counsel of the bible in my life.
It’s not there to frustrate me but to free me.
As the counsel of the word and gifted people in the area of biblical finances began to guide me, divine design is beginning to protect me as the scripture below promises:
“If you choose to follow good counsel, divine design will watch over you and understanding will protect you from making poor choices” Proverbs 2:11 TPT.
A budget now makes me stay on track. Where guilt abounded with my nice-to-have spending, enjoyment now resides because nice-to-haves are planned for.
I’m aware of the temptations to rationalise emotional spending. There’s room for being spoiled once in a while but I don’t let it ruin the whole picture of the direction I’m going in my budget and ultimately what that finance empower me to do in life.
Living below my means does mean that my life no longer looks like I am somewhere in life I am not. I can no longer support all the causes I did beforehand. I live in a cheaper apartment and I go on holidays only if I can afford it.
Because I now have a long-term vision for what I want to spend my money on, I can better welcome sacrifice in my present.
Telling my money where to go is intentional, creates freedom and builds into my long term goals and dreams.
Life in the faith lane is beautiful. There are never-ending layers of revelation to tap into. Each layer gives new light to walk out life with wisdom.
“The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together” Psalm 19:7 MSG.
So, revival is in the air.
Where do you need to AWAKE to new revelation?
If it’s in the area of finances as it was for me, I declare and decree blessing over you that’ll cause ripple effects of momentum for the body of Christ all over. When Jesus’ body on the earth is strengthened financially, it can’t help but cause His light to shine brighter. As we lend our strength through our open hands, we’re reaching those who are still walking in darkness.
Let’s pray with King David… “Teach me how to make good decisions, and give me revelation-light, for I believe in your commands” Psalm 119:68 TPT.
Also, how good is mercy? We get what we don't deserve. As you start walking in your new revelation and abandon your old ways, I believe God declares over your former:
"Her debt of sin is paid for, and she will not be treated as guilty. Prophesy to her that she has received from the hand of Yahweh twice as many blessings as all her sins" Isaiah 40:2 TPT.
Let it be your portion. Bless you.
Picture by Sophie Vestergård (Instagram-handle: @sophvest)
Did you know I have a mailing list?
To receive blog posts straight to your inbox, sign up here. ❤
Dance to the tune of His revelation 💃🏼
Have you ever found your life going into autopilot? You wake up in the morning, eat the same breakfast as usual, go to the same workplace, meet up with the same friends? Rhythms and routines are great in life and necessary to put down roots and be established.
However, sometimes stuff we have done for a long time just don't serve our life anymore. It's like life begs more from us... This could be our soul yearning for a new level of devotion to keep us well fed in the Word of God even though our current devotion has been working fine for us until now. It could be a fine-tuning needed in areas of diet, exercise, friendships, family investment, job situations and on and on it goes. The scenarios are countless really.
Hi! Did you know I have a mailing list?
To receive weekly blog posts to your inbox, sign up here.
It's like when walking barefoot has served our lives perfectly in the Summer days but if we keep walking barefoot as the weather changes, our feet will turn blue and cold. A change in the season calls for a change in how we carry ourselves. To not hurt ourselves, get sick and slow ourselves down, we need to put on some shoes. The same applies to our spiritual and emotional prosperity. What worked in a previous season won’t necessarily work in a new one.
I find adjusting is key to staying flexible, fresh and fired up for what God has for our lives in the current season.
Why is this necessary?
Since God is the one who changes times and seasons, who He removes kings and establishes kings, (Daniel 2:21) we want to be people who are constantly tuned into the gospel message and who dance to the tune of His revelation, like King David did. (Psalm 119:70 MSG) When He changes the season, we want to change with Him. We are kept safe as we listen to Him, readily recognize what he wants from us, and quickly respond to it.
We are not the only one who pays attention to the seasons in order to stay aligned with our purpose. Certain birds do the same as they migrate to warmer, foreign skies during winter, and for them it is a matter of life and death. We may not apply the same life-and death urgency to our season shifts as birds but we can sure learn from then. Their example can definitely propel us forward in adjusting accordingly to successfully walk in our new season and assignment.
2 - We change wineskins
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved" Matthew 9:17 MSG.
I was sent this verse by a friend right before major transitions in my life; stepping into marriage and a new ministry. The old ways of doing things wouldn't work in the new God had for me. I needed a new mindset, a new resilience, and a new level of devotion to Jesus to sustain the growth and blessing He was adding to my life.
The ability to adjust and adapt is something we can totally do! Why? Because we have a High Priest who is modeling this by being perfectly adapted to our needs (Hebrews 7:26 AMP). Let's in response align and go with Him into the adjustment that's required to receive the new He has for us. Let's test all things carefully so we can recognise what is good, and hold firmly to it.
How do we continue to dance to the tune of His revelation?
3 - We do what we can, not what we can’t.
In transition, not all things are in our own control. How people perceive our change, or the doors that open for us are examples of that. It's not up to us. But what we can do is regulate our heart, and as we regulate our heart, our hand will follow!
Even if your situation does not consist of a major transition, our hearts need regular heart-checks to stay diligent and not grow weary with what you have already been given to steward. This is necessary to keep dancing in tune to His revelation and will keep the assignment and commitment to it fresh.
To dance to the tune of His revelation, we need to know our season. Once the commitment is clear, we can do what we can, and leave what we can't up to God.
We can do what the musicians did when they were singing in the book of Nehemiah as the wall in Jerusalem was dedicated, and praise was sung to God. It says that "the musicians were under the king's orders, which regulated their daily activity." (Nehemiah 11:23 MSG)
Let's in the same way let our daily activity be regulated by our King's marching orders! Let our hearts be aligned with Him and are hands will automatically follow. We are most safe living in His will, in His way, for His glory.
Let's adjust by listening to the Holy Spirit, by changing wineskins and by doing what we can, not what we can't as we regulate our heart and hand to dance to the tune of His revelation.
Love,
Sandra.
Get more posts like this straight to your inbox.
Join my mailing list here.