Can you feel it in the atmosphere? Can you sense it in your spirit? Can you recognize it in what people are saying? The year 2016 is sounding like a year like we have never seen before.
I have never sensed the leaders in the body of Christ having so much excitement about what God is about to do. Kenneth Copeland is calling 2016 “The Great Year!”; Reinhard Bonnke is calling 2016 “The Year of No Restrictions”; The Hebrew Calendar calls 2016 “The Year of Ayin Av (Look Again at the Tent Peg).” Everywhere you turn, every prophetic voice you listen to is proclaiming good news about this year, Max Lucado just released his newest book called Glory Days. Cindy Jacobs has yet to release her word, but from what she has hinted at, it is going to be alignment with all the other words spoken so far.
So, with a year so pregnant with promise, what are you prepared for? The promise for this year will not just blanket everyone with prosperity, healing, restoration or whatever promise has been made on a general level. The promises of God are an invitation to everyone, but they are not RSVP’d by everyone.
Promises, prophecies and proclamations are invitations for preparation. In Matthew 25, there were 10 virgins. All 10 were virgins, but only five were prepared when the Bridegroom came to the door to begin the party. What are you prepared for?
Prosperity is not coming to everyone, healing will not flow through everyone, preaching a reformer’s message will not be heard through everyone. Why? Because to be a leader in what is coming, you have to be prepared. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people and when heaven comes to earth, the way people are sensing it is coming, it is coming to a prepared people.
Now this does not mean you will not receive a healing, a financial breakthrough or some other manifestation of glory, but will you sit back and let it come to you, or will you be prepared so you can be one who is sent to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out the demons? Mark 16 and Matthew 28 say all believers are to experience this as normal Christianity, and many are not because they are not prepared to carry the authority it takes to do exploits. We don’t let people drive who have not prepared in driver’s education or have taken a driver’s test. We don’t go to doctors who do not have a degree that shows they prepared themselves to do surgery. We don’t put our money in banks that are not prepared to protect our money. So how much more is God not going give His authority to do exploits to those who are not prepared?
Love is not permissive in the sense that we let everybody do whatever they want. Love protects, love empowers, love matures, love develops, love trains and love prepares us to do exploits. Our Father is about to release a measure of His glory on the earth, it is going to blow our minds, but it is not going to be given to everyone, Isaiah 11 says there is a remnant that has been prepared for this hour. Many will be surprised at who has been preparing and who hasn’t. For what we do in secret will be rewarded openly, and some have been preparing in secret, not fully understanding what was coming, but now that it is here to some measure and about to be very near in a major measure, the clarity of preparation is evident.
As the Parable of the Workers (Matt. 20) says, it doesn’t matter when you start working, we are all going to be paid the same, but I sense this is the last hour to prepare for what is about to be poured out and many are ready with oil in their lamps and extra in their vial, but for you who did not prepare, it’s not too late to start. The workers are few and the harvest is plentiful, so this blog is my prayer for the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers into His harvest field. We need your help; we can’t do this alone. This job is beyond a remnant; it is for a body. I plead with you to get prepared, for the kingdom of God is about to invade the earth, and we need your help.
Lisa Great is an author, speaker and blogger with Mouthpiece Ministries International. She has been in ministry for over 25 years, she has a BA in Youth and Family Studies, a MA in Education. She can be reached at mouthpieceministries.net;