BLOWING WINDS
It’s been over a year since I heard the audible sound of wind in an early morning prayer session at my church. At the time, God revealed a tiny portion of what this meant. Since then, He has spoken to me about His winds of change bringing a shift and His breath that is breathing new life. He also spoke to me about tuning in to His movement to avoid the winds of chaos and confusion from the enemy. On that note (no pun intended), interestingly enough, my husband also had a dream involving wind, specifically a wind storm, where we rushed out of a restaurant because “there was no time” to finish, or even receive, our meal before the dangerous storm would overtake the area.
So this wind I initially heard appears to have a dual meaning, a positive that leads to life (a sense of growth and vibrancy on an individual level as well as multiplication) and a warning of a counterfeit that would attempt to derail and sweep away, thereby robbing us of the great outpouring and blessing that God wants to bring.
Isn’t that how it always seems to work? God establishes a principle, a truth, and then in comes the counterfeit, a slightly twisted up and around version of God’s pure truth. The problem is, God’s truth always brings healing, freedom, and empowerment whereas the twisted-up version (AKA LIE) always drains us and brings bondage. Then God, our omnipotent and eternally creative God, creates a gift, a way for us to experience His presence, character, and power and yet…you guessed it…there’s a counterfeit. Again, the counterfeit often so closely mimics God’s gifts that without discernment, avoiding deception can be difficult.
How do we know? How can we tell if what we’re hearing, seeing, or experiencing is from God? I don’t promise to have all the answers, but I will share with you some pointers:
1. GO BACK TO THE BIBLE! The Bible is the written Word of God. It is unalterable and infallible. What I see, hear, and experience in the Spirit should NEVER contradict what is written in the Bible or biblical principles.
2. If still unsure, and especially if you are new to this process, go to someone with more experience (i.e., a recognized prophet) and bounce it off of him or her. Someone who has spent years hearing, releasing, and praying into words from God with a credible track record is a valuable resource to help fine tune spiritual eyes and ears.
3. Take it to trusted church leadership, especially those familiar with the prophetic.
4. GO BACK TO THE BIBLE! While receiving input from others is extremely helpful, and even critical, to someone looking to grow in hearing God’s voice, every single word must—absolutely must—align with the Bible or biblical principles.
As we seek God and His voice, we become more familiar and comfortable with the process. Kinda like chatting with a friend on the phone or hearing a familiar voice behind my back. I don’t need to see the person to know who it is, I know just by hearing. God’s voice feels different than my voice does. It’s heavier, and it just “settles” like a soft blanket (that’s the best description I can come up with in black and white text). But God always meets us where we’re at. For example, when I began receiving and releasing prophetic words, I relied on physical sensations like a thumping heart combined with a fiery belly, but that no long happens. It didn’t go away overnight, but was a fading away process that I had a sudden realization of one day.
Bottom line is: God wants to connect with us. God loves us more than we could ever begin to comprehend or imagine. God will always meet us where we’re at and draw us along, closer to Him, as we are willing. If we are willing to hear and to see, God will reveal Himself and His heart and make sure we know we got the message. During my mentoring process, my prophetic mentor once asked me, “Debbie, don’t you trust that God is able speak above your emotions?” when I had asked her how I could be sure that it was God vs. just my own feelings (especially regarding things that are “big deals” in my life). The answer was, “Of course, God is all-powerful and all-knowing, so He knows how to do it and has the ability to do it.” And that settled that.
We can trust that God wants to and will speak to us if we are willing to listen. We can trust that God can and will be able to speak above any other sound (including any counterfeits and our own) in our lives. We can trust that God can and will continue to draw us closer to Him and reveal Himself to us more and more as we continue in this process. THANK GOD!