As I was seeking the Lord as to what he would have me to write. I heard the words “cooperating with the Holy Spirit”. A few days later, early one morning I heard the scripture Zech. 4:6 and began to read it and ponder it. So, the angel explained that it was the following message of the LORD to Zerubbabel: I am the LORD All-Powerful. So, don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. (Zech. 4:6 ESV) As I spent time reading and studying the scriptures, in my inner man I sensed that this is to be a word of encouragement to leaders, especially those who are apostolically and prophetically minded. We have heard, read and discerned for many seasons that the church (Body of Christ) is in transition and we understand that shifting and alignments are taking place in many of our lives. We are understanding now more than ever the meaning of the catch phrase that “there is no more church as usual”.
In this transition we are seeing leaders who have in the past stood strong are falling into various sins and we have been saddened to hear of some that labored in the ministry for years have passed onto glory. In transition there is change, for some leader’s change is not easy and the battle is in their mindsets {that this is not the way it used to be and we are going to continue with what we know}. The spirit of tradition must be broken in our minds and hearts so that we can move forward in this end-time hour fulfilling what God has put in our hands to do. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our assignments, when he speaks for us to go left or to the right, we need to find ourselves quickly hearing and obeying. The Holy Spirit has been in the earth from the beginning and he knows what the mind of the Lord is in every situation of our lives. We know from scripture that in the last days perilous times will come. There is absolutely no way we can complete our assignments without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. As I write this word I thought over the past few weeks of the times that I did things without the leading of the Holy Spirit and I wonder what if I had taken the time to ask him for guidance how the situations could have turned out for my good every time without stress and confusion. Thank God for his grace!
The Lord is admonishing his people in this hour to be led by his Spirit and not our own abilities and power, for without him we are nothing and cannot do anything. for as many that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation, world) waits for manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19) (my paraphr). How awesome to know that the world needs us (the saints) they are waiting on us to manifest liberation to the captives, preach good tidings to the meek, bind up the brokenhearted and to set the bound free. We have been anointed by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to comfort all that mourn, that he might be glorified (I am paraphrasing Isaiah 61:1-3). The apostle Paul had much to say about the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers see (I Cor. 2:9 -10) But it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. Verse 10: But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. What God is doing in this hour of the church (Body of Christ) will not be understood by the natural man-seeing, hearing, or reasoning, it is only by his Spirit revealed to those who are sons of God. It is imperative that we do all to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to complete our assignments. The dictionary defines co-operate: To work or act together or jointly for a common purpose or benefit. We are to co-labor with the Holy Spirit to do the work that the Lord has called us to do in the earth. He sent the Holy Spirit to the church to do specific functions in the believer’s life! In the book of Acts 1: 8 Jesus declared that we shall receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon to be witnesses of him to the uttermost part of the earth!
We will take a look at the leader Zerubbabel and the scripture Zech. 4:6-9, he was given a powerful prophetic word from the prophet Zechariah to encourage him in his assignment (task). Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah and was called forth by God to lay the foundation of the temple after the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their 70-year exile. He was admonished through this prophetic word that his assignment was greater that his natural ability and it would take more than his earthly power to complete this task. He had to rely totally on the Spirit of God. He was given a sure word that he would complete the temple and finish it! If you continue to read this whole chapter you will see that God spoke the assignment from the beginning to the end. He promised us in his word that he knows the thoughts that he thinks toward us for good and not of evil to give us an expected end Jere. 29:11. Zerubbabel assignment came with instructions and direction; when the Lord gives an assignment to a leader, he will send a prophetic voice to bring clarity and direction. In verse 7 the prophet is still speaking the word of the Lord, “who are thou O great mountain (difficulty or obstacle) before Zerubbabel thou shall become a plain. And Zerubbabel shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting crying Grace, Grace unto it.”
Through the prophet, God told Zerubbabel that though the obstacles were like great mountains through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit they will become a plain never to rise up again to face him. How many times as an Apostolic leader you rose up and stepped out to do the task God spoke to you and opposition immediately hit you in the face to kill your spirit? God is speaking to you in this hour that you will complete the task and you will bring forth the (memorial stone); this is the last stone that builders lay after the completion of a house or building. All your adversaries who opposed you that said you can’t or won’t last will see the completion of your work and your testimony will be with shouting of Grace! Grace! God’s Great Grace. There are Apostolic leaders in this hour of the church transition who are called and ordained by God to bring the (Body of Christ) to that place of restoration, maturity, and equipping and yes! it will be with opposition and obstacles! Apostles have the mandate to build, laying the foundation of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many man-made foundations have been erected in the Body of Christ that has not been after the pattern that Jesus had laid. Now (right now) in this dispensation of the Church he is and has called and assigned those with the Jerubbaal anointing to complete the task not by might, nor by power, but by the empowering of the Holy Spirit. These Apostolic leaders will find themselves tearing down old structures (man-made traditions, ideologies, theologies of what the church should be) but the work must be done totally cooperating with the Holy Spirit. It is so important in this transition that leaders do not get into doctrinal fights with those who don’t understand the move of God in this season. Nehemiah had many obstacles that came to distract him, but he had his mind focused on what needed to be done and continued on to accomplish it. Neh. 6:3. Fighting other ministers is not the key to building the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ but walking in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit will complete the work that you have been assigned to do. I sense in the coming months that the Body of Christ will experience outpourings of the Holy Spirit that have never been experienced before. These outpourings will not be contained in the four walls of the church building where we have tried to contain it. This explosion of the Holy Spirit will impact the mountains of business, education, family, religion, media, government, and entertainment! Not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit of God will we see transformation happen; and the world will know that God reigns in all the earth. We (the body of Christ) are looking to the emerging and seasoned apostolic leaders to lead us and equip us to complete our purpose and destiny in Christ. I am excited at what God is doing in this end time hour. Are you?
Blessings to all,
GotWord
GotWord 