Jubilee Church, it’s time to move forward. We are coming alive again, every one of us! The Lord told me it would be a crazy prophetic Christmas. He did. And let’s be honest with ourselves and God, because He loves honesty; we’ve had enough “crazy” in our lives, at least the definition of “crazy” we are used to: mad, insane, deranged, unhinged, lunatic, you get the idea. But there’s another definition of “crazy” I’d like you to embrace: being extremely enthusiastic, passionate about, keen on, fanatical, wild, and nuts about something, namely Jesus! What if you could be crazy re-ignited in your hope, where you could believe God to do a miracle in your life– in fact, THAT miracle– the one you have prayed for so long that you just can’t even begin to hope or believe that it could ever come to pass? It’s time for THAT kind of crazy. . .
I believe that this Christmas, we will all find ourselves in at least one of the six characters of Luke 1 & 2, with several experiences of God and Jesus coming forth in our lives. So whether we identify with Anna and Simeon; Zacharias and Elizabeth; or Mary and Joseph, God is speaking to us! As I said on Sunday, whenever shifting starts happening in the Spirit—and we are in that time, Jubilee—a tri-generational functioning begins to take place, where each generation, old and young, begins to show signs that life is advancing. Each generation can receive what is needed, and move on!
This week, try to find your own story in Zacharias’ experience. Let’s face it: Age can either prepare you for receiving more of Jesus, or less. Your heart either grows softer and more humbled, or gets hardened by life’s disappointments and delays. Honestly, Zacharias’ heart was just NOT PREPARED for God’s interruption in his life through the angel Gabriel. But you know what is so encouraging? God doesn’t care whether you are prepared or not, and He doesn’t care where you are to do what He wants to do! Not in a callous way, but just because, once you’ve said “YES” to Jesus at any point in your life, no matter how many reconsiderations or “May I change my answer to ‘no’, please?” conversations will get Jesus to leave you! This is actually crazy good news.
Get Smart: Just Stop Talking
I am so grateful to read in Luke 1 that Zacharias didn’t get disqualified because he didn’t believe what Gabriel said: that he and his wife Elizabeth would conceive and have a son. No, he just got quiet. Yes, it was a “forced quiet” (he became mute for at least 9 months!), but there is something so rich here: Some of the greatest things coming for you in this crazy prophetic Christmas season will make you go quiet. Because the flutter of life is starting to happen; because some of you have waited a long, long time, and now you have conception in your spiritual wombs of something very deep, though also something long forgotten.
God is coming to our lives, Church. He is breaking forth and speaking. As He visits you, I encourage you not to look at yourself too long. We’ve all done that, like Zacharias did: He looked at his age and circumstances and time spent waiting and he just “couldn’t go there” to believe that he and his wife would have a son. The danger is, when we look at ourselves, our resources, abilities, station or place in life, we will quickly lose faith and disqualify ourselves; more importantly, we will disqualify God to do and be all that He is—in His power, magnificence, and ability. If we are in this place, the greatest miracle this Christmas season is that we can shut up and be silent. Silent enough that we can take a long, adoring look at Jesus. . . And let Him speak.
Your Voice Made My Baby Leap!
As we take that long look at Jesus, seeing and hearing what He is doing in and through us right now, let’s seek out people of like-faith, those who look at us and say, “Your voice made my baby leap!” This is what Mary did in Luke 1 once she learned she was pregnant with Jesus. Yes, she treasured this truth in her heart and praised God, but she also did what it took—traveled the equivalent of about 80-90 miles—to find someone of like-faith, her cousin Elizabeth, who might come alongside her and agree with her miracle. Otherwise, alone, our faith can weaken. But with those alongside us who can see and agree with what God has placed inside of our wombs– those promises of destiny and purpose–we can begin to say with confidence, “This is happening”, and people will start to rejoice around us. I prophesy that this will be the case for each one of us.
With this, begin to ask yourself, if you haven’t already, “What is the biggest thing I have prayed for in my life that is now beyond my power, resource, age or reach to make happen? What is the biggest miracle I can pray for now?” Next, as we did in our services on Sunday, find someone you can share this with. It’s funny how we can have so much faith for others’ God-given dreams and promises than we have for our own; maybe that’s so we can encourage each other, connect with others of like-faith, and have our babies leap in agreement!
Get Super Honest
As we come into the last month of 2018, I encourage you to be super honest with God. If you are in unbelief right now, exhausted, jaded or cynical, tell that to Him. He really does love an honest conversation. It’s a great place to start, always. And as we ever so tentatively dare to believe what He has said to us, I’d like to end with a prayer:
“Lord, we are super glad that when it was time for Christmas, NO ONE COULD STOP YOU. You just came in, with a beautiful unfolding of drama and life. And You’ve won the war! Right now, You are starting to break up hearts as You get ready to break forth. And for some of us, this is scary, and we feel unprepared. Some of us are in unbelief, not because we want to be here, but because it’s just been so long since the promise was first given. And we might not feel ready, but we yield. We yield to Your interruptions, even though they feel like home invasions and for some of us, that’s exactly what You are doing, invading the homes of our hearts. Where we weren’t necessarily ready but we’re glad You came. And it’s scary and messy but that’s OK. Because You are saying that the greatest miracles happen through barren wombs. Thank you, God, that when You interrupt, You don’t stop to have us catch up. Thank you that in this season, we are all coming alive—like your New Covenant Body, EVERY MEMBER IS COMING ALIVE. God, may we fully activate in this season, whether we are just beginning to feel the flutter of new life, new hope awakening again in our bellies; whether we are looking to find others of like-faith who will come alongside and ‘make our baby leap!’; or whether our voices have been unleashed, like Zacharias, who went through the transformation from unbelief and silence to gushing forth prophetic declarations by the Holy Spirit, hearing the voice of God, saying YES, then declaring, ‘THUS SAYS THE LORD!”
I want a crazy prophetic Christmas this year, don’t you? Let’s take the ceiling off; let’s wipe our tears, let’s be the first people to say “Yes” to our Jesus. Because He wants to break into our lives, He wants to break our futures wide open: full of life, full of promise, and the momentum to move forward. We say, “Yes, Lord. Let it be to us according to Your Word”. . .
