‘I write these things to you dear children; because you truly have a relationship with the Father. I write these things fathers and mothers, because you have had a true relationship with Him from the beginning. And I write these things young people, because you are strong, the Word of God is treasured in your hearts and you have overcome the evil one.’ 1 John 2: 14 TPT
As we move into 2023, we are all aware God is raising up a new and different church in our nation – a church no longer limited to its four walls and a church able and prepared for the challenges of today’s world. God is working to bring forth a church that preaches the gospel, makes disciples, moves in the miraculous, bringing healing – physical, emotional and spiritual to the world around it.
God is working to raise up leaders who will not only have a church function, but those who will sit in the seats of influence in our nation bringing transformation. God is changing the face of His Church, and revelation is coming, teaching us what it means to be the Body of Christ; the Bride of Christ or the Ecclesia church, among others. He is teaching us that we carry authority, but that authority comes out of a place of humility and surrender before God, not out of our own capacity or strength.
But as I looked at the scripture at the top of this blog, a key part of all those changes is that God’s people grow in maturity. That maturity has many different facets, from being grounded in His love – to dealing with mindsets and emotions that have the capacity to take us out at the most significant moment.
In the verses above, written by the apostle John, He highlights several stages of that maturity not necessarily mentioned elsewhere.
We need as the people of God to understand we are forgiven. We were forgiven of all that preceded our receiving Christ at that point of rebirth, and since then we must learn to walk in the truth of the scripture written in the previous chapter, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ So why are we walking in condemnation? It is time to believe the Word of God.
Secondly, some should be fathers and mothers, which is not to do with age, but with ‘do we know God.’
The part that really impacted me, was the third point – they had ‘overcome the evil one.’ I believe we are in a season when God is beginning to teach His church again about the realities of the spiritual realm, and the reality of the spiritual battle raging around us. He is training His church for the spiritual war. He is training His church to know how to overcome in their personal lives so that we are able to stand in the places He is opening to us. This is not a time to shut our eyes and believe we are not involved – it’s time for the church to wake up to reality and start to use the spiritual weaponry He has given to us.
Prayer
Lord we repent where we have not grown into the people You planned for us to be; where we have lived in comfort and ease, ignoring the promptings of Your Spirit to transform our lives .…… Please ask God how to both pray and repent for yourself before you stand in the gap for our nation.
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Declaration
We declare in this day, God is changing the Face of His Church across this land; that He has been changing us in the hidden place that we will reflect His glory in the visible place. He has been calling His people into His Presence, to know His heart, His ways and His desires, that a fresh revelation of the power of prayer will come to His people, and that the shifts and the changes He desires will be released within us and through us. It is a day of opportunity, it is a day of increase and expansion, it is a day of recovery and restoration, and we decree God’s people across this nation will be positioned, that from those who will touch the one, to those who will touch the many, the reformers, the revivalists and the Ecclesia are coming into position, that the transforming power of Jesus will be released.
We agree as the Holy Spirit moves across His people in this day, we will change individually and we will change corporately, that we are emerging from this season, carrying His Heartbeat and the anointing which comes through time spent with Him, cleansed by the fire of God’s Spirit, pure in heart, spirit and soul. We declare as that reverential awe of the Lord arises, a true humility, oneness and authority is being released to His people. We declare this is the day for His people to come out of the wilderness, out of fear and failure, into the dreams, the plans and the purposes He has prepared for them.
We declare God is opening the eyes of His people, He is teaching and training us for battle that a nation will be changed.
We declare His church in this nation will move in obedience and sensitivity to His Spirit, causing the manifestation of His Kingdom to increase, openly visible beyond buildings and church meetings, onto the streets of our communities, towns and cities.
Suzanne Ferrett
Passion for the Nation