A Recent Electric Experience
After returning home from a ministry trip, I was engaged at a weekend conference in my home city of Nashville, Tenn. The conference was simply titled “now.” Between sessions, I had come home on Saturday afternoon to rest and pray before I led the closing session on Saturday evening.
My intention was to simply lie down and rest for a few moments to regain some strength. But I quickly fell into a deep sleep and entered into a vivid dream.
In the dream, I saw myself walking down a road and was beginning to get tired from the journey because there was no clear end in sight. The road was long and hilly, and the sky was getting dark and cloudy. Then I came to the top of a hill and the entire sky burst open into color just as the sun was setting. It was an electric moment where vibrancy took over everything around it.
Suddenly I woke up and my bedroom was filled with a “fresh atmosphere,” as I heard the external audible voice of the Lord speak to me (not merely the internal voice of the Holy Spirit in my heart), “And suddenly … and suddenly … this the season of the suddenlies.”
I was invigorated by the encounter and then drove back for the closing session of the NOW Conference. The worship was saturated by the presence of the Holy Spirit and suddenly, seven different Scriptures flooded my mind. I scribbled then down as fast as I could, knowing I had a fresh word from the Lord to deliver.
7 Key Scriptures Related to “Suddenlies”
- Malachi 3:1: “I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. He is coming, says the Lord of Hosts.”
- Psalm 147:15 “He sends forth His commandment on the earth; His word goes out swiftly.”
- Isaiah 42:13-14: The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, raise a war cry;
He shall prevail against His enemies. I have for a long time held My peace; I have been still and refrained Myself. Now I will cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. - Isaiah 54:1-3: “Sing, O barren, you who did not bear a child. Break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child.
For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your habitations; spare not, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall spread out to the right hand and to the left, and your descendants shall inherit the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited” (Isa 54:1-3). - Luke 18:7: “And shall not God avenge His own elect and be patient with them, who cry day and night to Him?”
- Acts 2:2: “Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.”
- Revelation 22:12: “Look, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with me, to render to every man according to what He has done.”
After I was introduced, I proceeded to minister this fresh word on the suddenlies of God. As I was spontaneously led by the Holy Spirit, I became the student in the midst of my energized presentation. Understanding was granted to me right on the spot. I was being given a recipe concerning key ingredients needed to create a suddenly in God.
Key Ingredients Needed
When the fullness of preparation meets the fullness of time, it results in the culture or atmosphere where “suddenlies” come to pass.
- When the Fullness of Preparation: Consider the example of the lives of Joseph, Moses, Esther and many others. There is always purpose in the preparation.
- Meets the Fullness of Time: Kairos time—this is a critical strategic time vs. chronos time—which is a planned calendar time or event.
- It Results in the Atmosphere Where “Suddenlies” Come to Pass: When the breakthrough comes it erases the weariness of the previous season, a refreshing presence of the Lord comes upon you and you know that the waiting was worth the outcome result.)
Confirmation Through Cindy Jacobs
God will always confirm His word through the testimony of other voices. Here is a word of confirmation from Cindy Jacobs of Generals International.
God has spoken to me and to different prophets around the world that 2018 will be a remarkable year of God’s “Suddenlies.” When I asked the Lord about this, I felt the Holy Spirit saying, “It’s the year to possess the gates of your future.”
In order to lay hold of your future, you must be willing to let go of your past. You have to be willing to let go of the disappointment of your deferred dreams. You must be willing to hope and trust again. God is good, and you know it! You must be willing to act—to say “NO!” to the devil’s lies, and to say a “yes!” to the great promises. So don’t give up on your dreams!
The Message of My Encounter
There are a few distinct qualities that are necessary in the atmosphere for a “suddenly” to occur. We must not quit, but we must keep our hand on the plow and our gaze straight ahead. We must have flexibility as every new birth comes in a form we do not expect. We must not lose our sense of awe and wonder. We must have a longing for the Word of the Lord. We must let go of old disappointments. We must tell ourselves to dream again.
When the fullness of preparation meets the fullness of time, it results in the culture or atmosphere where “suddenlies” come to pass. “And suddenly … and suddenly … this is the season of “suddenlies.”
Prayer of Preparations for the Suddenlies
Gracious Father, in Jesus’ wonderful name, once again we consecrate ourselves to You for Your purposes in our lives and in our generation. Though the road has been long, we know that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. We choose to cooperate with the fullness of preparation. We long for the strategic timing of the Lord to come. May Your “suddenlies” come quickly and change our weariness into a new spring day. We are grateful for the shift of seasons as we posture ourselves for You to come suddenly to Your temple with Your manifest presence in Jesus’ name. Amen and Amen.