The Spirit of Prophecy Resting on the Church
There is a Spirit of Prophecy Resting on the Church in this coming hour.
We understand that the Spirit of Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, or in other words, the Church is proclaiming the nature of Jesus for all to see.
“…The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelations 19:10
I believe that we will be entering into a season where listening will be far more critical than responding, needing to understand more than being understood. We will need to be slower in responding and reacting, be very quick to listen to what is said or, in some cases, what is not communicated but implied.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” – James 1:19
Not only for spiritual ears but our natural ears as well.
It is safe to say that history has proven that we, the Church, tend to respond or react quickly, but this behavior will not benefit us much this coming season. There is going to be significant testing in our character. Do we have the nature of Christ? Will the manifested love of Christ show through the way that we respond and in the way that we act? We will need to be slow to anger and quick to love.
The Lord and those we interact with will weigh our hearts.
“The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:8-12
We will find ourselves in many situations just as Jesus did, character and nature tested. Ultimately being set up in those questions for what we say used against us. If you recount through the gospels, the religious and political nature of the Pharisees repeatedly tried to manipulate situations to disapprove of the nature of Jesus.
“Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” – Matthew 12:11-14
“So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.
Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me?” – Luke 20:20-23
Even when the Pharisees brought Jesus the woman they caught in adultery, they intended to entrap Jesus to disprove Him. At that moment, instead of responding with anger or frustration, Jesus reminded them of the way of mercy. He leveled the playing field between their self-righteousness and her sin. Initially, Jesus acts as if He never heard the words of the Pharisees. It is not until after they ask the same thing multiple times that He finally acknowledges them.
We are going to be given opportunity after opportunity to lash out and live from the flesh. Likewise, we will be given the opportunity after opportunity to display who Jesus is.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Our actions and our responses will prophesy to the world Jesus.