Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? -- Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV)
I was in the middle of prayer and fasting through the Book of Leviticus the other day when Jesus came into my room to chat. After I fixed Him a latte I asked Him if He had a word for His church that for some reason was not in the bible but He now wanted to share through me. After finishing His buttered scone, Jesus suggested I write the following down for you as we enter into the new season of 2019:
The Lord says there is a new season for those who would tenderize their hearts before Him but you must be willing to step into it. The release of the prophetic is only a step towards activating it. You alone have the power to activate the prophetic word in your life. You alone must step into it. You have the power to break generational curses in your family and reap the harvest that has been waiting in your family tree for centuries. No more do you need to be in bondage to religious spirits that wave the bible at you as if you worship a mere book! You do not need a relationship with a book when you have one with me personally!
There is a shifting somewhere; probably in the atmosphere or the heavenlies as that is usually where these vague shiftings occur. Within these shiftings as a new thing the Lord is doing; after all -- old wineskins! Am I right eh? So you must lean into the shifting after you have stepped into the prophetic. Step then lean; the order is very important. The Lord says do not lean where you are supposed to step or step where you should be leaning"whoooaaa there's a fresh word for someone right now quickened in my Spirit! Shabba!
God says He is going to restore everything to you. Everything you have lost in your life will be magically restored because after all -- locusts! Am I right, eh? Not only restored but there will be a season of suddenlies followed by a longer season of immediatelies! Everyone hearing my voice will have spiritual priority queuing! God says it is a season of declaring and decreeing for those who prosper under this word. For those who would step in, lean in and finally fall in -- line that is! Fall in line with the purpose God has designed for only you since the foundations of the world. Don't you know he has designed things only you can do? Do you realize how special you are? In fact that is the word for 2019 -- me! When I say me, I of course mean you! So whenever you ask yourself what 2019 is all about just say 2019 is all about me! Amen, hallelujah and pass the offering plate!
Now beloved, this has obviously been a sarcastic parody of the NAR and the false prophets network. Satire aside, the words contained within this piece are exactly what millions will hear over the next few weeks from people who pretend to be apostles and prophets. Millions will fall for it too. They will believe Jennifer "Sneaky Calamari" Leclaire or Ryan "I am" LeStrange from Charisma News. They will believe that Cindy Jacobs is a general or that Bill Johnson actually hears from God. They will show up every week to church to seek this imaginary shifting. Altar call after altar call. When something happens in their life they will believe it was a "suddenly" and if it happened really fast it will be assigned to the "immediately" category. With each passing week they will drift farther and farther away from the person they claim to seek.
It need not be so beloved. If you want to hear a word from God, pick up your bible. If you want an audible word, read it aloud. God Himself has written down book after book addressing every topic imaginable and we chase a silly word from people like Chuck Pierce or Mike Bickle. We do so because we are narcissistic people who want to make ourselves the god we serve. So we seek out false teachers to tell us that the bible is about us instead of being about Christ. Charlatans and snake oil salesmen who will swear to us that anyone with a bible is just dealing with a religious spirit while we pick up our five smooth stones of faith and walk into the Valley of Elah to face our goliath or wayward children or a bad marriage. Ugh.
That is the real prophetic word for 2019 for the church -- ugh. When we hear someone like Todd White or James Goll open their mouths to spew lies pretending to be God we need to say -- ugh. We need to turn to the final revealed will of God -- the bible. Turn to the key verses for 2019 and far beyond. This is Jesus teaching his disciples directly! You claim to want to be a follower of Jesus Christ? You want the mantle of what it means to be a Christian? Then forget shifting atmospheres and accelerations -- deny yourself! That is the first thing Jesus says here. Why? Because that is the starting point for any follower of Christ. It is no longer about us. It all has to be about Him! Deny yourself! When you hear preaching centered on you -- run! When you hear false prophetic words about you -- run! When you hear self-absorbed, man-centered "worship" -- run! Come out from among them!
Secondly we must take up our cross daily. Jesus was not just crucified. He had to carry the implement of His own death and was paraded as such through the streets. The bible says that we are crucified with Christ -- it is no longer I who live but Christ in me! The context in the key verses leaves no ambiguity. There is a battle for your soul beloved between the forces of this world and the forces of heaven. Not because you are anything special but because He is! If you are trying to hold onto your life you will lose it and if you let it go you will find it again in Christ. Give me that prophetic word! Keep your suddenlies and carnality. Look at the seriousness beloved! What will it matter to gain the entire world and lose your soul!
You watch over the next few weeks how schizophrenic the false prophet brigade will make the Holy Spirit out to be. There will be ten different words for 2019 and they will all have to do with YOU. They will use the buzz words I highlighted above in attempt to super spiritualize their carnality. These words will be vacuous, powerless, and utterly useless. They will be a fig plant in bloom but without fruit. They will be waterless rain clouds promising refreshing but leaving one further and further away from Jesus Christ; dying from thirst that only the Living Water can satiate. To all of these false words from their false masters I have only one word in return.
Ugh.
Rev. Anthony
