This morning I woke up to a thought running through my mind repeatedly.

It went like this: “Your only protection from deception is to stay in prayer and in My Word.”

Usually, when I receive a word from the Lord similar to this, there seems to be some sort of backstory idea He also seeks to communicate with me, and this word did have another idea attached to it. The unspoken impression I received from the Lord was just as immediate as the thought had been—the word and prayer are linked. You cannot trade one for the other; you cannot only read the word or only pray.

These two spiritual activities will never work properly when they are done in isolation from each other. The word works in us as we pray, and as we pray, we respond to the word. In my heart, I felt the Lord’s emphasis was on prayer. The message He seemed to be conveying was, “Many read the word, but few actually spend time in prayer, actively listening for My voice and seeking to pursue My presence and know Me.”

The implication was that if we read the word but never pray, we come to a place where we think we know the Lord well, but actually, we only know about Him. Reading scripture but never spending time in prayer is like reading a biography about someone famous—we learn all about them and feel acquainted with them, but we do not fully know them on a personal level.

Reading scripture while coupling it with sincere daily prayer sets our hearts before the Lord, transforming the word from a biography into a text message. Prayer causes the word to become an active conversation between God and us.

I’ve read many blog posts and Facebook posts over the years, and I’m sure you have too. But these are only one-sided unless I leave a comment. Many times when I have commented, the author has responded to me personally. Prayer is our place to have dialogue with God. It is not a one-sided request session, although requests are accepted and encouraged. Prayer is the place where God communes with us by His Spirit and speaks the life-giving truths of His word in our hearts on a personal and applicational level.

Furthermore, without prayer, we cannot say we truly have a dialogue with God. It is no longer enough to simply know about Him; we must truly come to know Him on this personal level.

Let me also say that prayer without the word is also unbalanced.

When we never take time to read scripture, our prayers become more than just superficial and selfish; they can become dangerous to us because when we think we hear the Lord speak in our hearts, we do not have a foundational basis of truth to weigh our impressions against.

I’ll be clear: God still speaks in our hearts.

His voice always supports His written word, and what I hear in my heart must always be weighed against what He has already revealed about Himself through the written word.

Our protection from deception takes on its greatest strength when the Holy Spirit has been given a resource to draw from in our lives—when the Holy Spirit has scripture available that we have hidden in our hearts, He will use it to communicate in the present tense by using what was written in the past.

Scripture that is over two thousand years old becomes fresh and new when the Lord pulls it from the recesses of our hearts and breathes upon it to make application in our present.

There is so much swirl and contradiction happening in the earth and in the church at the present moment. Voices you have looked to for guidance seem shaky, and you can be left feeling overwhelmed by what you see, hear, and feel. Instead of retreating from the battle and giving in to your fears, start drawing close to the only voice that will never change—Jesus.

This is an hour when deception is at an all-time high, and this deception will only increase as the last days wind down to their conclusion. The only voice that we can ultimately trust is scripture, coupled with the internal voice of the Holy Spirit.

Listen to what Jesus says in scripture about the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13-15 NKJV—”However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. [14] He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. [15] All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Prayer is vital because through prayer, the Holy Spirit takes the words of Jesus and uses them to guide us. As we take time in the Lord’s presence—just being there, spending time, worshipping Him—the Holy Spirit softens our hearts and works in us what is well-pleasing in the sight of God.

During prayer, we submit our hearts to the Lord and come under His Lordship, and the Spirit speaks in our hearts. What He speaks always agrees with the written word. The litmus test of hearing God’s voice is: Does this word align with scripture? If not, throw it out!

Our time in prayer and in the word, when it is sincere and truly desires to seek the Lord, develops in us a protective wall against the deception of the present age.

Friend, deception is not just something that will happen after the rapture, but it is something that is already at work and will only grow stronger.

Listen to what Paul says to the church in Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKJV—”The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, [10] and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [11] And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, [12] that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Prayer and the word breed a love for the truth in our hearts. This love for truth and the desire to walk in it is used by the Holy Spirit to create a firewall against the deception of the present age.

When you can no longer discern which voices are godly, ungodly, safe, trustworthy, or true, turn to prayer and the word. Let the most influential voice in your life be the Lord’s voice.

We’ve reached a point when every voice and every message must be weighed against the truth of scripture. God’s people have always been called to inspect fruit. The message of truth is backed up by the holiness of fruit.

Friend, don’t throw away your desire for an experience with God.

No, we cannot build our foundation for faith on experiences. We build upon the word. But experiences of the Lord’s voice, His presence, His power, and His love serve to add reality to the word that speaks to our hearts in a personal way.

This moment in history demands a church that will pray and soak in the word.

Here’s what Jesus said would happen in the last days:

Mark 13:21-23 NKJV—”Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. [22] For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. [23] But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.”

Remnant, it’s time to put on our protection from deception.

Yes, the Lord Still Moves in Miracles, Signs, and Wonders.

There is a huge swirl and controversy surrounding the truth of supernatural ministry and the things of God. It seems everywhere we turn, someone is trying to defend another person, or a church is trying to declare why they are the one that has a corner on truth.

Openly, I admit that I do not have all the answers.

My prayer in this hour is that my Heavenly Father would grant me a wise and discerning heart.

We need hearts that remain open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to the leading of His hand. With this being said, what I hope to do in this short article is shine a light on what I perceive as truth, whether you agree with me or not.

My debate is not about a person, a church, or a group.

It is about the truthfulness and veracity of scripture, which is what I feel is being undermined in quiet and also overt ways.

The whole Bible is true cover to cover. There isn’t a piece of it that is untrue. If one book, one chapter, or one word of scripture is a lie, then the whole book is worthless and to be thrown out. The problem is, instead of looking to the character and nature of God, we are looking at the fallibility of man and judging the truth of God by the deeds of men.

Man has never been the measuring rod by which we are to judge the goodness, mercy, character, gifts, or love of God. So often, man gets it wrong, but God never does.

There is a growing push to actually remove the things of the supernatural from the hearts and minds of those who would believe in the miracle working power of God. Allow me to say that from Genesis to Revelation and everywhere in between, the Bible is an unapologetically supernatural book.

From water flowing out of a rock and food falling from heaven to the judgment of Satan and the new Heavens and new earth, the Bible is built upon a bedrock foundation of supernatural truths and experiences that go beyond the comprehension of man’s limited understanding.

God Himself declares, “For I am the Lord. I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)

If the Lord never changes, it also means that His character never changes. Who He is and what He does is part of the makeup of His nature. We trust in a changeless God because His unwavering nature gives us strength and stability in a shaky world.

But what this changeless nature also means is that everything written about Him is still true. The entire ministry of the New Testament church was built around the supernatural moving of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came and fulfilled the Old Testament law, becoming the embodiment of what it means to live in true obedience to the Father. Then Jesus introduced a new covenant based upon better promises. One of those better promises was the gift of the Holy Spirit given to the church. This took place on the day of Pentecost when the early disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit and power, with fire. They spoke in tongues, and the entire city ran to see what had taken place. (Acts 2)

The entry of the Holy Spirit into the world did not happen in a quiet stable like the way our Savior came. Instead, the Holy Spirit came with power, wind, and fire. He moved the city, and His ministry through the church turned the world upside down.

People were healed, delivered from demons, and set free from bondage. Entire cities burned their witchcraft books and dark art materials. Scripture declares that even the very shadow of the Apostle Peter walking down the road caused people under the shadow to be healed.

Not once was it even hinted that all the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit has or would just disappear from the church one day.

With this being said, it also makes sense that the gifts of the Spirit listed in First Corinthians are still real and available to us today.

While we should not build our spiritual life upon experiences, to claim that God is so silent that we never have experiences is to reduce Him to a dumb idol. Just because there are excesses by some does not mean there is not truth that Scripture supports.

I am personally thankful for every experience I’ve ever had with the Lord.

Several years ago, my earthly dad, my father-in-law, and I built the house my family now lives in. We contracted out parts, but most of it was built with our own hands and hammers. We crawled through the trusses and helped hang the sheet rock. We drove nails, cut boards, and put in windows. Not everyone has this kind of experience with their dad, but I did. It is something we shared. To say that because most people simply buy a house, that my experience of building a house never happened would be crazy.

Your experience cannot erase my experience, neither can my experience erase yours.

As a young believer I sincerely desired to be filled with the Holy Spirit along with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I prayed and prayed, yet nothing ever seemed to materialize. I grew up in a church where this was practiced, and I personally knew the lives of those who prayed in tongues. It was a small, close-knit church where everyone knew all about the others in the church, so I had no reason to doubt their experiences or to disbelieve it when they prayed in tongues, even though my experience had yet to happen.

I vividly remember having a dream one night. In the dream, I could see myself outside, and it was night. All at once, the Lord filled me (in the dream) with the Holy Spirit, and in the dream, I began to speak in tongues. I could hear my own voice praying in the Spirit in the dream. This seemed to last for hours. When I woke up, there was a tangible presence of God in my room that I will never forget.

As I sought the baptism in the Holy Spirit, another experience began to happen. I would have glimpses in my mind of myself praying in tongues. I could hear my voice praying loudly in the Spirit in an unknown tongue. At one point, I thought, “This is crazy. I don’t know anyone else this has ever happened to.” I hesitated to tell anyone but eventually told my fiancé about what was happening, but I told no one else.

At one particular church service, everyone was being prayed for. Usually, back then I was a shy person who never sought to be in the fray or have any attention drawn to me, so I sat back and tried to be as invisible as I could. A trusted, precious friend, a man of God much older than me at the time, called me out and wanted to pray for me. I never told him that I desired to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I never told him I had never prayed in tongues. But as he prayed for me, suddenly he stopped, looked intensely into my eyes, and said, “The Lord is telling me you are hearing it in your mind, and if you will let it out, He will fill you with the Holy Spirit.”

The fact that this man knew what was actually happening inside my head freaked me out! Had I not known him personally, and still know him today, I might have thought something crazy was happening. However, I knew instantly the Lord showed him something about me.

I didn’t “let out” what was in my head.

What I did do was pray when I got alone in my car on the way home. I told the Lord, “You know that I didn’t tell that man about what I’m hearing. That had to be You. Lord, I’m going to try it.” So I quietly began to say the words of the Holy Spirit I heard in my mind, and all at once, a rush of power filled my body, and I began to pray in the Spirit more deeply. I cried out, “That wasn’t me! That was YOU!”

Since that day over thirty years ago, I have prayed in the Spirit nearly every day of my life.

Now, not everyone has had the same experiences I had. Not everyone has had a dream or received a prophetic word of knowledge to be filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Apparently, these were things my Heavenly Father thought I needed for whatever reason, so He gifted me an experience that was mine alone.

Not once have I ever preached that my experience was the norm or the biblical way in which everyone has to be filled with the Spirit. Yet, my experience does not undermine the truth of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, all the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit are still true, real, and available. We cannot pick and choose to simply throw away certain fruits or certain gifts because of the excesses or even abuses of some. Scripture is still true from cover to cover.

My experiences with the prophetic gifting have largely been positive, but not completely. For instance, my wife and I were once prophesied over, being given a very specific personal word. This prophetic word was given in front of the whole church. Guess what? The word did not come to pass.

However, as we prayed about this specific area of our lives on a personal basis, God gave us specific words of knowledge about it. My wife and I received these prophetic words during a prayer time in our home between just the two of us. These words didn’t come through someone else; they were given to my wife and me as we prayed over our desire and need. Guess what? The words He gave us came to pass. They proved true down to the last sentence.

When we received a word that should have and could have disrupted our spiritual walk, we were left with a choice.

We could either judge that all prophetic words were not from God, lay down our belief in the supernatural nature of God, and walk away, or we could realize that men and women are never perfect, and they will undoubtedly “miss” it sometimes.

Let me also say, prophetic words are in NO WAY on the same level as scripture. Scripture will always remain superior to any prophetic word a person may receive.

If a word is not backed up by scripture, you should not believe it. If a prophetic word speaks to the supernatural nature of God without having a certain scripture, you should pray into it.

We prayed into the word we received many, many times.

Ultimately, we felt the Lord had a different plan for our lives.

When you plant your faith in man, you will always be led down a pathway that is shifting and swaying. But when you plant your faith in the unshakeable nature of God and His word, there is no reason to be shaken when someone comes along with a “word” that seems off.

Scripture says something very important about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 14:31-33 NKJV—For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. [32] And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. [33] For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

We are supposed to judge the gifts of the Spirit, and we should. It also declares to us what Gifts of the Spirit are meant for: encouragement. They are not meant to bring confusion, but encouragement.

As believers, we all have the Holy Spirit inside of us. He speaks to us. He leads us. He gives us guidance.

What this means for us personally is that we do not need another person to come along and give us a “word” in order to hear from God. Your Heavenly Father will personally speak to you. Prophetic words come alongside in order to confirm or bring clarity to what the Lord has already spoken.

There are many believers who do not believe God can still speak.

If you mention something about how the Lord spoke to you, they roll their eyes in disbelief, yet I wouldn’t trade my experiences of the Lord’s voice or His presence for any amount of money. His voice is my precious daily delight. He speaks in my heart like a Father, and I would never want to give up His presence or His voice. I know it is real.

If ever there is a moment, and there have been, when it seems that what I heard may not agree with scripture, I instantly begin to pray into what I heard. I ask for clarity and discernment. I don’t assume I get it right every time. There have been a few times when I’ve had to say to myself, “Maybe I didn’t hear this correctly.” I’ve also had to say on occasion, “I don’t completely understand what the Lord is trying to say here.”

So I set aside those “words” and go back to “the Word” and seek His face.

But what I do not want to do is mistake my fallibility for God’s inability.

He is supernatural in every way and able to speak. I am fallible, not always hearing correctly. However, if scripture is my bedrock, I will declare along with scripture, “You will work INTO me what is well-pleasing in Your sight.”

Never assume you have arrived. Never assume you know scripture perfectly. Never assume you get it right every time.

But always assume there is something more about the Lord you can learn. Always assume that you have been given an ability to hear His voice, and cultivate your hearing. Always assume that the Lord seeks to press you more deeply into the things of God and into His nature.

I’m not really sure how to end this article, other than to say, “I pray for those who have been blatantly abused spiritually. I pray their hearts and lives will come to a place of healing. I pray that they will still cling to the goodness of God even though they have experienced the hurt and sinfulness of man.”

But I also pray that the church will not throw away the gifts of the Spirit or the supernatural nature of God because of the excesses or abuses of man.

Man’s stupidity and ignorance never cancels the Lord’s wisdom and power.

We are in the beginning stages of the greatest revival in the history of the world.

Jesus is about to return.

The church wins!

Let’s do everything in our power to see lost people come to repentance and for the church to wake up spiritually.

Let’s pray like we have never prayed in order to see the miracle-working power of God reach people who are hurting, truly heal them, and bind up their wounds.

Let’s allow the precious Holy Spirit to be who He longs to be among us and not quench His working or stop His hand.

Today is still a day of miracles, signs, and wonders for those who will press into the Lord and seek His face.

A Word To The Remnant—A Prophetic Company of Believers Is Rising

The Lord is calling out a prophetic company of people as we move into 2026 and beyond.These will be ones who hear His word because He will speak to their hearts.

This is something new.

Many have not experienced what they are about to encounter. The word of the Lord will begin to come to their hearts and minds.

When you pray, the Lord says, “I will drop My word into your heart, and you will feel compelled to release it.” For many, it will be through spoken words to and over people, whether in a church setting or in the grocery store. You will begin to sense and feel a word from the Lord.

When this happens, you need to speak it, for this is the Holy Spirit opening a door for you to obey in the moment toward the one who needs the word.

Others will sense these words coming to them, and they will need to write them down.

Share them online.

Share them with family and friends.

Release the words He speaks, “for in doing this, you are becoming obedient and setting in place the tools and messages I need to reach those upon whom I am about to move,” says the Lord.

If it means recording a video, do it. If He moves upon you to write, do it. Move without fear and let go of any apprehension about what others will think of you.

The message the Holy Spirit puts in your mind is intended to reach people, and in some instances, it serves a particular purpose. You must let go of the fear of man and not be bound by what others perceive about you. The Lord is doing a new work, so let Him complete it in you.

He is not calling you to be the most eloquent or the smartest person in the room. The Holy Spirit does not need the influence and wisdom of man to reach those He is seeking to reach. What the Lord needs from you as you sense this new experience is someone who will have a willing heart and an obedient hand.

For some, this could mean that the Lord gives you very specific words for another person, and you may feel led to text them the message. This will be hard for some of you to do, but be obedient and be ready. Do not add to what the Lord gives you. Let it stand for what it is and allow it to stand on its own merit. God’s word never returns void.

You may have never considered yourself someone who would walk in a prophetic company because of the teaching that has been done about prophetic people. However, in these last days, the Lord is waking up His Remnant and pressing His thoughts and words into their spirits to prepare the way for harvest before the return of Jesus. His return is soon.

As you release these words the Holy Spirit plants into your mind, they will reach God’s intended target, and He will prepare the way for a massive harvest.

The harvest will come on a large scale, but it will also come to individuals—one person at a time. This is one reason it is vital for the Remnant to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as they sense Him placing a word in their minds.

The word God gives you may be the exact word that a specific person needs to hear in order to come back into alignment with the Lord and become prepared for the return of Jesus.

This is a massive release of people into the prophetic company all across the earth.

Be ready.

Do not be afraid to step into something that feels new.

The Lord is about to use you as His mouthpiece to reach people, and for many, this is something you never even saw coming.

Let me pray for you…

“Abba, use and equip those You are calling and about to call in this hour. Let their hearts become open to something they have never experienced before. Holy Spirit, let Your presence become more real to them and instill in them a ready and obedient heart to perform what You ask of them. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Psalm 45:1 NKJV—My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.Remnant, allow your tongue to be the pen of a ready writer!

I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying over and over, “I’m not finished with you yet!”

In the spirit realm, there is shifting and movement. Something is taking place, and the Lord is preparing to do a work in His people. Where you thought the time was up and the plan was complete is only the starting point.

You have no idea the magnitude of the Lord’s work and plan for the next season. With God, there is always a next. He is creating ways and means where they currently do not exist. So what does the Remnant need to do in this hour? We need to prepare ourselves.

We, the people of God, need to spend our time soaking in His presence and seeking His face for an outpouring in our lives, allowing the Holy Spirit to renew strength and vitality within us.

People of God, the time to make things ready is NOW!

The kingdom of God is enlarging and moving, and our part is to continue the work of the Kingdom. As the Lord prepares and clears pathways of blessing, outpouring, and salvation, our role is to faithfully act and sow His Word as we always have.

This is not the time to stop and simply watch. We need to awaken to see what the Lord is doing, and with a watchful eye, a working hand, and life-giving words, keep ourselves engaged in the business of the Kingdom. The book of Mark contains a passage that speaks to what we must do in this hour.

Mark 4:26-29 NKJV—And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, [27] and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow; he himself does not know how. [28] For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. [29] But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

We are ambassadors in the Kingdom of God. This is a new mindset for many. The fact that we are actually invested with authority and given power through the Holy Spirit to speak words of life over dead situations and expect them to rise up is significant. This is what He has committed to the church.

It is a message of power and reconciliation. We are drawing the lost with every word we say, as we echo His words over our lives, families, and situations. God is creating a harvest from your words as you plant His words in the soil of your life.

From the previous scriptures in this chapter, we know that the seed being sown and spoken of is the Word of God. How easy it is to forget to sow the seed in and over your life. The church must take greater care to sow life instead of thinking and speaking death. As you read scripture, you find that the kingdom has always hinged on the spoken word of God, and for this reason alone, Satan wants to silence you.

Mark declares that the Kingdom is like a man scattering seed on the ground. The ground represents our hearts. From the previous parable, Jesus makes this clear. What does the Bible say regarding our hearts? Scripture teaches us that out of the heart flow all the issues of our lives. Our heart is the starting point for everything that happens in our lives. Sowing the words of the King into and over our hearts not only affects our present mindset and thinking, but also begins to shape our actions and abilities. His words spoken from our mouths influence future events and outcomes as they change the makeup of our hearts from which the issues of life flow.

Sowing the Word of the Kingdom initiates a process of growth in your spirit and in your heart, and as long as you keep sowing the Word, God is not finished with you yet! The word you’ve sown simply sprouts and grows. I love how the scripture says, “sleep by night and rise by day.” It means that every day, something is happening in your spirit man whether you sense it or not. The Word is working, growing, strengthening, producing, sprouting, and multiplying. God set it up this way.

For those who have faced hardships, loss, disconnection, and the pain of suffering in various areas of their lives, the word of the Kingdom is at work right now. Day by day, and night by night, what you have sown is growing. Do not stop sowing the Word in your heart!

We often cannot see the effects of our faith until the time of harvest. We cannot see the potential and the groundwork for life change that is taking place as we remain faithful to sow the Word, pray, seek God, worship, and release the Kingdom of God by faith.

This word has been resonating in my spirit for days now—stay faithful.

There are many distractions that seek to pull you away from simple faithfulness. Remnant, hear me in this. It isn’t that the devil will pull you from Jesus, but that by drawing back from your faithfulness to seek the Lord, seeds stop being planted. This work of harvest is a cooperative effort. It is you and the Holy Spirit partnering together to see the multiplication of harvest begin to change the direction of your life for the good.

Faithfulness touches God’s heart, I believe. When a man or woman lives with a heart of faith to do what pleases God, getting alone with Him when no one else sees and speaking over their lives when no one else hears, God always sees it. He is drawn to those who will sow in faithfulness.

I would say that there are many who have sown their seed, letting go of precious, valuable seeds when it seemed like nothing was happening. Your heart was sorrowful, and you did not see the end result of what you were doing. The promise seemed so distant that it felt like nothing. But God saw you. God heard you. God was moving when you didn’t see Him or feel Him.

The Holy Spirit was cooperating with your obedience and faithfulness when it was hard to remain faithful. Now the reward is close!

Listen to what the book of Psalms says about this time in our lives.

Psalm 126:5-6 NKJV—Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. [6] He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.

Let’s read it in the Passion Translation as well.

Psalm 126:5-6 TPT—Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee. [6] They may weep as they go out carrying their seed to sow, but they will return with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness as they bring back armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!

Did you hear what it said? “Armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!” This is what we should expect. Don’t let your focus be swayed. The harvest is coming. The harvest is ripening. The harvest for many is here!

The Book of Mark teaches that the earth yields crops by itself. What the scripture means is that once you sow the life-giving word into your heart, an unstoppable process begins. The soil of our hearts and lives begins to sprout with life. First, the blade—almost invisible at first—the harvest begins like a tender baby, easily broken. We must continue to water it with faith and sprinkle it with more life-giving seed. Then, the head begins to form, and you can see that something is happening. With joy, you begin to sense that God is fulfilling His promise. Harvest no longer seems like a dream. You start to awaken to a new reality that something is changing in the spirit. After that, the full grain appears in the head of the wheat. It is ready.

I believe many in the Remnant are at this point now.

We can see that something has shifted, and awakening is occurring. Seeds are still growing, changing moment by moment. Day by day, the Lord is enlarging and multiplying the effects of what you have sown in the dark of night. Through your prayers, faith, and declarations of the kingdom word, growth is happening, and you have reason to take up joy!

Let me draw your attention to Mark’s last verse in this passage.

Mark 4:29 TPT—“Then, when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts the sickle to the grain, because harvest time has come.”

Notice the word “immediately.” Jesus won’t wait when harvest time comes. This is why we MUST STAY READY. It can be easy to experience great joy as you see the seeds growing and notice the life change occurring. However, do not focus solely on the present, because even the joy of what is taking place is no match for the power of the harvest that will come. The harvest will be huge—multiplied by the tears you’ve sown and the words you’ve spoken. Your faith, which has been tested, will be found ready to carry armloads of blessing, favor, and reward. What is the greatest reward of our faith? It is to see and carry what we have believed for.

Friend, Jesus is about to put in the sickle.

What I have felt from the Lord is that something is happening now in the unseen realm. This word is meant to encourage you to press on and press in. Friend, keep moving forward in your faithfulness and work.

The Holy Spirit has been speaking to my heart that “blocks are being moved into place—ready for construction. He says, “you will see that I do a quick work!”

Again I say, when harvest comes, it moves fast, so be ready.

The Holy Spirit is communicating that, “the heavens are moving and shifting on your behalf. Do not think that I am done. NO! I have not even started yet!”

Listen to the closing part of this prophetic word from the Lord. It is meant for our encouragement.

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Let me begin with Scripture.

Mark 1:2-3 NKJV—As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” [3] “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’”

We know this speaks of John the Baptist, whom Jesus referred to. John the Baptist was a prophet prophesied by Isaiah, destined to come before Jesus walked the earth. When John baptized people in the river, he cried out for repentance and for fruits of righteousness. He proclaimed many truths that paved the way for Jesus to come on the scene and preach the Kingdom of God.

Friend, I believe that in these last days, God is raising up those same kinds of people again—ones in the spirit and essence of John the Baptist, who will prepare the way of the Lord.

Let me just say this: every person has a place of influence. Every person has an opportunity to be part of the remnant. Everyone can help prepare the way of the Lord. You just need to be open, fearless, and bold to do your part.

There are some of you right now who have had a desire in your heart to create a video. You have had words coming to your heart that you think, “I’ve never experienced this before.” But here you find this word in your heart and mind, and you believe it’s from the Holy Spirit. What should you do? Many of you desire to create a reel on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, and the people around you may decry those things, saying, “God could never use that.”

But I tell you, around the earth right now, God is raising up bold voices who refuse to be held back by what everyone else is saying.

They are posting those videos and sharing those words from the Lord, and they are reaching people. The reason that’s in your heart right now, friend, is that God, the Holy Spirit, put it there. He put it there so you would reach a person that nobody else could reach. He has a plan for your life. He has a plan for your voice.

I want to speak to those who feel insignificant or think they don’t have a vast audience. As I’ve said before, I don’t have a huge audience, but I will be faithful to speak to the one that God puts in front of the screen or allows me to speak into their ears through their earbuds, AirPods, or headphones. I will be faithful to speak into that person’s spirit through the word of the Lord. God is trying to get a word of encouragement, release, revival, power, and victory to them.

The same is true for you. You have a word from God. If you have any desire at all, you have a word from God.

Let me also say that for some, that desire will be a calling. It will be something they are supposed to do on an ongoing basis.

I feel like that’s part of my calling. Not only am I a pastor, but I am someone online called to spread the gospel, share the good news of Jesus, and help raise up and encourage the remnant. I’m going to be faithful to do that, waiting on the voice of the Lord for clarity and direction.

For some, that will be a calling. For others, you will have moments of divine inspiration. In those moments, you will feel something rise up inside you, and you will have a word that you feel needs to be spoken.

Friend, the word in that moment is from the Lord, and He is using you as a voice for His Kingdom.

You need to be bold, courageous, and fearless enough to release the word and speak it. Or maybe it’s a video. Maybe you’ll only do it a few times. Whatever it is, be obedient to God. Be obedient to God because the Lord desires to use you.

Now let me get to the word that the Lord spoke into my heart just this morning as I was coming out of a time of prayer. As a sidenote , I step out in faith every time I do this, just as I’m calling you to do something like this. I’m stepping out in faith because the Lord has been speaking to my heart over the course of several years, encouraging me and preparing me to give the words He would speak. This is something that is still very new to me. But I’m stepping out with boldness, and I’m going to encourage you to do the very same thing.

Here’s the word:

Friend, I am telling you that word burns in my heart, and I am so excited to see a bold and fearless remnant of people begin to rise up. I can’t wait to see it. There are already so many people on social media and online, making videos, creating reels, posting words and writing books.

In fact, I just talked to someone in my church the other day who said, “God is calling me to write again,” and He had just dropped a prophetic word into their heart in a way that He hadn’t in a while. I was so excited to hear that, and I’m thrilled to see those voices begin to step into their callings.

This is no competition. Every single person who rises up and becomes the voice God has called you to be has a sphere of influence that no one else may reach. Those people will listen to YOU; they will hear the word God has placed in YOU. YOU have an anointing for that group of people.

Friend, this is your hour. This is your day. Don’t be held back by religion. Don’t be held back by what people think. Don’t be held back by their voices. Boldly become who God has called you to be.

I was just reading the other day in Scripture, Jesus had gone out and was teaching, and His family thought He was crazy. Even His mother thought something was going on with Jesus. This was the same Mary who was visited by an angel, who said, “Your son is the Son of God. Your son will be the king of the highest.” She held those prophetic words in her heart. Yet when it came time for Jesus to step into His calling and anointing in a fuller capacity, even Mary thought something was wrong with Him.

The scripture says they thought He had gone crazy. Mary did change her mind and understand who Jesus really was, as the Holy Spirit had told her years earlier, but Jesus, in that moment, was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, calling for you.”

The Bible says Jesus looked around at the crowd in the house and said, “Who are My mother and brothers?” He pointed to those around Him and said, “Those who do the will of My Father, these are My brothers and sisters and mother.” In that moment, Jesus had to choose the identity of the Son of God, the King of the world. He had to walk in that identity with boldness and courage. He did it as God in the flesh, laying aside His divinity and picking up our humanity. He walked that same road, depending on the voice of the Holy Spirit within Him, believing the word of God over Him, and stepping into it.

If Jesus did that, friend, that’s exactly what you and I will have to do.

So I want to encourage you: don’t worry about what you hear from people. Don’t worry about their discouraging voices. Don’t worry about the naysayers. Don’t worry about those who talk about your words or decry your videos. Don’t worry about those who may speak ill of you.

You do what the Holy Spirit has prompted you to do, and you be obedient to the voice of Jesus.

Jesus will open those doors for you and create a path for you. You’ll stand before the people God has intended for you to stand before, and He’ll put a word in your mouth. Whenever you feel that word in your mouth, friend, open your mouth and let the Holy Spirit come out. Let the Holy Spirit energize you and anoint you with a word that you have no wisdom to give on your own. God will use you to bring down strongholds. That is the remnant Jesus is raising at this very moment, and you’re part of it.

If you are one of those whom God is speaking to, if He’s giving you a prophetic word, if He’s calling you to make a video, write an article, start a blog, or go live on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok—do it. Do it. Press in and do it. Don’t give in to the fear of man or the pressure from any source. You may be one of those the Lord is speaking about, preparing the way of the Lord, and God will multiply the message of the Kingdom by millions, reaching a harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God, and you’re part of that.

Let me pray for you:

“Lord, Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, I pray for my friend right now. I pray You release upon them a new anointing, a new grace, a new fervor, a new desire they’ve never had. Open up their heart with expectancy for things they could never do on their own, but through You they can, because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Holy Spirit, pour out with fire and unction in their heart, and give them a spirit of obedience to rise up into the new calling of God You’re placing upon them now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Be blessed.

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🔑 Main Points

• Everyone battles resistance in prayer — Distractions, interruptions, and spiritual warfare are normal, but must be overcome.

• Prayer and the Word work together — Like interlocking gears, they engage to release Holy Spirit power.

• Fight for your secret place — It’s your most valuable and life-giving connection with God.

• Prayer births and grows God’s work — Sometimes it feels hard or silent, but unseen transformation is happening.

• The womb analogy — Prayer is where spiritual life is conceived, developed, and birthed in God’s timing.

• The secret place forms your character — God uses prayer to shape your spirit and infuse the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

• Anointing flows from intimacy — True anointing is first for ministering to the Lord, not just for public ministry.

• Joy is found in His presence — Extended time with God restores strength and revives your heart.

• Make space and sacrifice for prayer — Fight distractions and carve out intentional time daily.

📖 Scriptures Mentioned

• Psalm 139:13-17 — “You formed my inward parts… I was made in secret.”

• John 15:1-5 (TPT) — “Remain in life-union with Me.”

• Romans 8:26 — The Holy Spirit helps us in prayer.

• Psalm 16:11 — Joy is found in God’s presence.

🙏 Closing Challenge

Set aside intentional, uninterrupted time to meet with God.

Let prayer and the Word become the twin pillars of your spiritual life—fuel for revival in your heart, your family, and your church.

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His anointing in and upon you will be like a flame of fire, burning away the old and lighting up the dark.

With renewed vigor and strength of spirit, the Lord is equipping his saints in this hour. His seeking ones will find the treasure their heart longs for, for it is found in His presence.

As you pour out your life before the Lord in prayer, He will begin a new flow of Holy Spirit power to refresh and renew the broken places.

His love and grace will flow like a stream to areas of hurt and pain that you have carried for years and in some cases, decades.

This is an hour of open heaven for those who will receive it. The Lord will pursue you, to bring you back to a place of awakening and hope, filled with the wonder of His presence and a new longing for His ways.

He will lead you down a path that seems new, but it will also seem familiar because His presence goes before you. Do not fear to step into the open door the Lord places before you.

His hand is operating a plan for your life that cannot be accomplished except through surrender.

So surrender to the Lord and fill your life with Him. Stand and watch as He moves through your obedience to pursue His presence.

“Awaken my people to my presence and open your heart to my move!”

What does the presence of God mean to you? Is there a fire burning deep in your soul that consumes everything inside you, or have you grown cold and indifferent to the things of God?

Friend, now is the time to seek the Lord. We have reached a place of great significance in the earth and in the timeframe of the Lord. He is opening doors and releasing His Spirit as the Word promised.

If ever there were a moment when you needed to pour out your heart to seek the Lord, now is that moment. There is a new kingdom seeking to overtake your life: the Kingdom of God. His kingdom is coming on the earth in deeper and stronger measures, and the people of God must begin to press into it.

The Bible says in the book of Matthew, “From the moment John stepped onto the scene until now, the realm of heaven’s kingdom is bursting forth, and passionate people have taken hold of its power” (Matthew 11:12 TPT). Another translation of this verse states, “the violent take it by force.” Today, let this verse become the pursuit of your life. Begin to search for, seek after, and pursue the kingdom of God until it becomes the treasure of your heart and the life of your soul.

Violently take hold of the kingdom of God and then humbly submit yourself to the King of all kings. This is not the violence that we see in the news; it is the holy violence that refuses to submit to demonic powers and authorities and seeks to gain the things of God at any cost. This “passionate” taking hold of the kingdom will start an overflow of His presence and glory in your life that you will not be able to live without.

Whatever you need is available in His kingdom. Scripture declares this to us in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 6:31-33 TPT—[31] “So then, forsake your worries! Why would you say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ [32] For that is what the unbelievers chase after. Doesn’t your heavenly Father already know the things your bodies require? [33] “So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.

Friend, what are you chasing after? What is it that you pursue? Your pursuit sets the course of your heart and defines the outcome of your life. Your pursuit leads you down roads that end in specific destinations. We can always gauge our life by what we pursue. When we pursue all the things of this life and the world, it ends in misery and want. Nothing good will ever come through the pursuit of gain and worldly things. However, when we invest our lives in the pursuit of the kingdom and presence of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, we will come to possess everything our heart desires. How is this possible? It is possible because when He becomes your deepest pursuit, He becomes your greatest desire.

The Lord will not withhold Himself from the one who purposes to pursue Him. Lately, my own heart has been set on a quest to find God and know Him more deeply than I’ve ever known Him. I have found that the more I pour out my heart and soul, the more He pours in His Spirit and presence. He becomes more real than ever as you open your heart and seek Him with everything you have.

It was in this place of seeking the Lord that He spoke a word in my heart that I want to share with you, the remnant. I encourage you to receive it for yourself and pray over it. Let the Lord set your heart on a course that changes your destiny.

Remnant people of God, let’s again purpose in our hearts that everything we are and hope to be belongs to Jesus—that our entire life comes under submission to Him and His Holy Spirit. This kind of submission releases the kingdom of God to work and move in your life, and you will never regret the outcome of this quest.

Allow me to encourage you to take action in a couple of areas.

Have a secret place with God.

Find a place to come before Him alone and immerse your life in His presence. You will find that He saturates every fiber of your life as you lay yourself before Him in secret. This secret place with the Lord becomes the most important part of your life, and its influence will be felt far beyond the time you invest with Jesus. Furthermore, there is a promise attached to the secret place with God. The Bible says that those who look for Him in secret will be rewarded openly.

Begin a quest to find God.

Most of us have read about the great men and women of years past—those who prayed revivals into existence and saw nations changed because of their prayers. Finney, Whitefield, and Roberts are but a few of the men who sought the Lord with all their might and saw heaven seem to open above them. You could also mention Billy Graham and the German evangelist to Africa, Reinhard Bonnke. These men saw untold numbers of people come to Christ and witnessed miraculous, documented healings.

My heart wonders what kind of prayer it will take to see even a portion of what these men saw. How much time will it take in the presence of God to possess a measure of His Spirit that starts shaking the foundation of hell and releasing the kingdom of heaven? I, for one, am on a quest to see how much of my life I can pour out in the presence of the Lord.

There are some who will never understand what this means. This quest does not mean we stop trusting God or that we no longer hold to the firm doctrines and beliefs that have anchored our faith. It simply means that we recognize there is more. There is more to the Lord than knowing about Him. We can know Him personally, deeply, intimately, and become acquainted with His Holy Spirit and thirst for His presence. This is where my heart has found a landing place and a dwelling place—the presence of the Lord.

I pray that your heart ignites with a holy hunger and thirst to press into the Lord more deeply than you ever have before. After all, this is harvest season, and we do not want to miss anything God is doing.

Blessings on you in Christ,

Larry Shankle

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The Lord is calling out to the church in this hour. He is asking us to rise up once again in the activities of heaven that matter most. The Lord seeks those who will seek Him. He looks for those who will honor Him with a sacrifice of self in His presence to obtain His presence.

This call is: Pray, Church! Pray, Church! Pray, Church!

The time has come for the church to begin to pray again. The call and cry that resonate deep in my spirit is a summons from the Holy Spirit to enter into the secret place and come before the King of all Kings. We cannot neglect our prayer and hope to win the battles that are coming against us, and certainly, we will not win the battles that are about to come against us unless we pray.

The church must pray. Prayer is how we fight!

Prayer is the battle mode of the church that releases the kingdom of God upon our circumstances, problems, and worries.

Prayer unleashes the kingdom of God against demonic forces bent on harming our communities, families, and our nation. Prayer is the posture of power in the Kingdom of God.

Nothing compares to prayer in its importance and scope. Praying will unlock doors and move mountains. Praying will touch the heart of God and cause His hands to be moved. Prayer releases every force the kingdom of God has against the enemies of the kingdom.

So, again I say: “Pray, church!” It is time for the church to pray again, getting into battle mode and fighting stance.

Ironically, as we pray, we are not facing off against demons ourselves. Instead, we are coming to worship the King, speak His words over our lives, intercede for the longings of His heart, and pray for the peace He decrees in our lives and on the earth. As we pray for leaders, nations, lost sons and daughters, and the hopelessness we see people walking in, the Spirit of God comes and begins to battle against the enemy’s plan. God releases resources, help, provision, strength, and power as we pray. Angelic activity is ignited as the host of heaven hears the words of God being declared in prayer by the saints. These mighty angels go to war on our behalf at the command of the King.

All of this is happening behind the scenes as we simply become the connection point from earth to heaven.

When we open our hearts and our mouths to pray, it releases the divine purpose and passion of Christ’s heart. He is revealed, and He is magnified. Church, the Lord would say to you, “Your prayers matter!” When you pray, it makes a difference for eternity. It’s not about you feeling it or even sensing it, although when we do, we are thankful. But prayer is about facing the Lord in faith, boldly worshiping His name, and declaring His beauty and holiness, coming to Him with thanksgiving in our hearts and seeking His face.

Prayer is a connection point to the Kingdom of God, and it releases the power of His Kingdom in our hearts and in the earth.

Scripture plainly tells us the plan of God for our prayers—“on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:10 TPT—[10] Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is fulfilled in heaven.

I would submit to you that the more you pray, the more of His presence will enter your life and transform you and your situation. Even if you do not realize it’s happening, it is.

And so if you’ve ever felt dead or dry in your spirit, this is for you. Maybe the Lord has allowed you to reach that place so that you will begin to search for Him, to seek Him, to look for Him, and to allow the Holy Spirit to come in. I believe that He is calling out to the church in this hour to seek His face.

He is urging us to pursue Him actively, to follow Him, and to press into Him in greater and deeper ways because a harvest season is here. It’s not only coming; it’s upon us. It’s moving in the earth, and we are meant to take part in that—prophesying into the atmosphere and over our spheres of influence, including our families, cities, and towns—all to see the harvest of the Lord come in and to reach out and work.

I believe God is calling out to His remnant people in this hour to begin seeking His face, to open our hearts to His presence, and to allow the extension of His power to touch our hearts deeply, igniting our hunger, desire, and thirst.

Friend, we need to pursue and press deeper into the Lord than we have before. If we’re going to make bold and courageous stands in our culture, we cannot do that without the presence and Spirit of God. We need a working relationship, not just knowledge of God, but an intimate relationship with His presence, Spirit, and power.

We can’t be a bold voice for Jesus in our culture, in our city, in our town, in our family, in our nation, or on Earth unless we have the voice of God inside us, speaking to our hearts in His presence, igniting us and pressing us forward. So I’m speaking to you right now—as a friend and as a fellow believer—saying, let’s press in like we haven’t before, and let’s allow the Holy Ghost to ignite our hearts with a new hunger, a new thirst, and a new passion, so that there is a drive and a force from God that pushes us into the things of the Lord and the purpose of God.

Prayer is the extension of His touch in your life. As you seek Him, He pours Himself through you.

Let me just say this too: God is so faithful.

As you begin to search for Him and seek Him out, He will be found by you. He will not hide or keep Himself at a distance from you. He is so faithful to come in and fulfill His work, His word, and His promise in your life. He will do that. One of the things I turn to when it seems like the presence of the Lord has begun to slip in my life, and maybe I can’t feel Him as deeply as I once did, is this: if I will just get on my face before God—and I mean truly make a sacrifice to do so—and remain in that place of prayer, I know that if I stay there, God will meet me.Even if I don’t feel it, I know He’s working.

And if He’s working, then I have everything I need. Because when God is working, the Bible says He will work in us those things that are well-pleasing in His sight. That’s what He’s doing right now. So don’t be discouraged, friend, but press in.

We are to embark on a quest to explore the depths of the Holy Spirit.

Not long ago, I received this word from the Lord about the Holy Spirit:

It is time for the Church to pray again!

This is the call to the remnant who are about to rise into revival!

Any great move of the Spirit of God, any significant revival or outpouring of the Lord that has ever happened on the earth can be traced back to men and women on their knees.

Corporately:

2 Chronicles 7:13-15 NKJV—[13] When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, [14] if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. [15] Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

Personally:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV—[11] For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. [12] Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. [13] And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

How to seek the Lord:

Have a secret place with the Lord.

Matthew 6:6 TPT—[6] But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to Him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly.

Sacrifice more time in prayer.

Luke 6:12 TPT—[12] After this, Jesus went up into the high hills to spend the whole night in prayer to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 TPT—[17] Make your life a prayer.

An example of the need to devote more time to prayer can be drawn from understanding a marriage relationship. The more time you spend with your spouse, the more deeply and intimately you come to know them. You reach a point where you understand how they think and feel. You may even be able to finish their thoughts because you’ve become closely aware of their perspectives and desires.

Sacrificial time in prayer produces a knowledge of Jesus and an awareness of His presence that comes in no other way.

Intercede for your cities and towns.

Colossians 4:2-4 TPT—[2] Be faithful to pray as intercessors who are fully alert and giving thanks to God. [3] And please pray for me, that God will open a door of opportunity for us to preach the revelation of the mystery of Christ, for whose sake I am imprisoned. [4] Pray that I would unfold and reveal fully this mystery, for that is my delightful assignment.

Act as watchmen and prophetically call for awakening, warn the people of God, call out sin, intercede, hear a word from the Lord, and declare it—over your family, your community, your nation, your spouse, your friends, and your children.

Isaiah 62:6-7 NKJV—[6] I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, [7] And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Isaiah 62:6-7 TPT—[6] Jerusalem, I have stationed intercessors on your walls who will never be silent, day or night. You “reminders” of Yahweh, take no rest, [7] and tirelessly give God no rest, until He firmly establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of all the earth!

Ezekiel 3:17 NKJV—[17] “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:

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Woven into the very fabric of this life for Jesus is the facet of commitment. It is a deep, life-changing, heart-developing commitment that is required of us as servants of the Lord. There is no less than a full giving over of oneself in holy commitment.

As the church in decades past has moved toward self-help and self-will, we have stepped away from the core concept Jesus embraced, lived, and taught. In our efforts to produce disciples, we have left out the foremost ingredient that Jesus preached. We want men and women to feel loved, cared for, and to have a sense that life will become better; and all of these things are true. However, at the center of it all is a core truth and anchor of our souls that, if neglected, will produce nothing more than frivolous disciples who are bent on following their own way rather than following the Master.

Jesus called each of us to a commitment so holy and all-encompassing that we would follow Him to the point of death. The fact that each of us must come to the point where we are willing to die for the Lord is the foundation of our ability to have a relationship with Him, built not upon what we gain, but upon who He is and what we are willing to give Him.

You cannot escape the level of commitment that Jesus requires. It is much more than a desire of His heart for us; it is the block that stabilizes every other stone. We often read of the Apostle Paul’s “pressing on” toward the goal, which makes for a great message about never giving up. However, we fail to realize where this ability to move forward in life really comes from. His strength was rooted in sacrifice, and his might was built upon the weakness of surrender.

Surrender to what? To the Lord. To follow Jesus so closely that all other loves are lost in the beauty of His presence. To follow Jesus to the depths of a relationship that demands nothing less than “all.” Paul came to understand, probably better than most, the relational dependence of commitment and the sacrifice it demands.

Paul speaks of this in the book of Philippians.

Philippians 3:7-11 NKJV

[7] But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Friend, can I ask you what you have counted as “loss” for Christ? Have you laid aside the intentions that were valuable to you? Have you sacrificed your wants and even your needs on the altar of your relationship with Jesus Christ? It is not a life that finds its own way that becomes most valuable. In stark contrast, the life of greatest value is one in which its possessor willingly lays it down to gain something far more precious.

Paul understood that the God-kind of life comes with a hefty price. His life in us grows as we give. As we give of ourselves, He takes more and more of our hearts until we become consumed by Him. The ultimate goal is that Jesus owns it all. All that I am and ever hope to be are sacrificed to the will of the Father in full commitment, and until we can come to this place, we have not yet arrived at the point of our highest calling and fullest potential.

The Apostle Paul understood that commitment comes from knowing. It is in the knowledge of Jesus and in the experience of His actual presence that we develop a commitment that gives all.

[8] Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

To fully commit to one thing means that I must leave behind all the others. I cannot hold onto what has been most dear to my heart and still count Jesus as the most precious One to my soul. He must become my One Thing. He must become my first love. He must become the One who has access to my heart in ways that no other will ever possess.

This is part of the great secret of commitment and the reason why we never seem to progress past a certain point in our walk with God. Paul wanted to be “in” Christ.

[9] and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

The law represents what we can do. It illustrates how well we can serve God through our own self-effort. Commitment, on the other hand, means laying down my life in pursuit of something greater than what I can accomplish on my own. For the believer, commitment means giving our all, and in that giving, we gain immeasurable access to the Lord that comes in no other way.

[10] that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, [11] if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

This is the same message that Jesus preached. Commitment is the message of the Gospel and the missing ingredient in our inability to host a move of God. If we desire to host a move of the Holy Spirit that covers sin, destroys addictions, and breaks down idols, healing families and individuals while changing hearts, it begins with committing to die to ourselves so the life of Jesus can flow.

Jesus offers only resurrection life. By definition, this means that He comes into people who have chosen to die.

Scripture says something profound about this gospel message in First Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV

[18] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The cross is the implement of death but the source of life. For those who do not yet follow Jesus, this is impossible to understand. You cannot conceive it in your mind. That’s why we don’t try to simply persuade others about the love of God; instead, they must be introduced to the presence of Jesus. When you come into His presence, you begin to feel His love, and it transforms your heart. What once seemed foolish now stands as the highest wisdom you could ever know. It is the power of God to transform, and it comes through the sacrifice of commitment.

Hear the gospel that Jesus preached.

Matthew 16:24-26 NKJV

[24] Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. [25] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. [26] For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

The message of the gospel is commitment unto death that births life.

The paradox is that we cannot fully commit to this kind of sacrifice on our own. It only comes with the help of God. Therefore, the Lord requires something of us that we are unable to fulfill unless we remain in relationship with Him. It is His Holy Spirit that enables us to sacrifice all we are in order to obtain all He is.

Holy commitment is birthed from living in the secret place with God. Commitment is presence-based. When you know Jesus, you will desire to follow Jesus. When you know Jesus on the deepest levels, you will pick up a cross alongside Him and carry it up a hill, knowing that the end of your journey leads to what appears to be loss to the world, but in the losing of one life, a greater life is gained. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Please hear a prophetic word the Lord placed in my heart about this:

Please understand, salvation is free. Jesus paid the cost. But there is a deeper level in the Lord that we are called to. I want you to remember that it is not what we DO for the Lord that matters to Him most. Our heart, given to Him in relationship through prayer, seeking His face, devouring His word, and the release of His Holy Spirit and presence into us through worship—these are the facets of relationship that He cares for most.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus describes what matters to Him—relationship.

Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV

[21] “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [22] Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ [23] And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Remember, the Apostle Paul teaches us that knowing Jesus requires the sacrifice of commitment.

There is a high cost to obtaining the anointing of the Lord upon your life in greater and greater degrees.

Not all will pay or be willing, but those who come close to Him will find the treasure of their hearts.

This commitment comes from sacrificing our time, our efforts, our desires, and anything else that would keep us from simply being with Christ. Remember that Scripture declares about the apostles: people took note that they had been with Jesus.

What we must come to understand again is that commitment to Jesus will cost us our lives. Whether we live or die, it always costs us our life. The Bible declares this plainly in the book of Philippians.

Philippians 1:19-21 NKJV

[19] For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, [20] according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Jesus is again asking for His church to rise up with boldness in this hour. We are to begin desiring His presence more than we ever have before. He is releasing Kingdom power to do Kingdom work, and it begins with relationship. To become a vessel used by the Lord—one who truly inherits the goodness of God to the greatest degree—will require nothing less than death.

The gospel of eternal life begins with sacrificial death. Jesus showed us how this works. In His hour of deepest need, Jesus chose to spend time with His Father in prayer. He gathered His dearest friends and said, “Watch with me.” In this sacred moment, Jesus poured out His life to the Father in a way that was deeper than ever before. Essentially, Jesus died to His own will before He could be used as the vessel that would purchase our freedom through His sacrifice.

The Gospel of Luke records this private moment between the Son and His Father.

Luke 22:39-46 NKJV

[39] Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. [40] When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” [41] And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, [42] saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” [43] Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. [44] And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. [45] When He rose up from prayer and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. [46] Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

When the scripture uses the word “agony,” it refers to “the trembling excitement and anxiety produced by fear or tension before a wrestling match or a fight” (CWSB commentary). The Strong’s Enhanced Dictionary defines it as a struggle for victory, encompassing gymnastic exercise, wrestling, and severe mental struggles and emotions, agony, and anguish.

These are the emotions that Jesus expressed in sacrifice to His Father. His personal sacrifice of commitment produced His highest calling—the sacrifice He became on the cross, dying in our place for our sins. The Bible says that Jesus became sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

[21] For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The Passion Translation of Scripture sheds even more light on this precious verse.

2 Corinthians 5:21 TPT

[21] For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with Him.

Our union with Jesus begins with His presence being revealed in our lives, giving us the strength to lay down our lives for Him. Just as the angel strengthened Jesus, the Holy Spirit reveals the presence of Jesus to our hearts, empowering us to do the impossible—submit to death.

Full commitment means: We die to ourselves. We die to our wills (as Jesus did). We prepare our hearts to be obedient unto death to receive the crown of life. Sometimes death comes naturally and flows from a long, faithful life. For others, this death comes at the hands of persecution as they preach the message of the Gospel. Still, others will simply lay down their wills in pursuit of something far greater—The Lord Himself.

Commitment is the message of the Gospel.

Commitment is the price of relationship.

Commitment is a continual death to self and a continual birthing of life toward God.

I feel the Lord asking:

I would love to connect deeper with you. Leave a comment, subscribe, or share this post!

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👉 Don’t miss this episode! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at remnantrising.co.

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🙏 Together, we’ll pray for God to cleanse, restore, and reignite our hearts so we can walk boldly in holiness and truth.

👉 Don’t miss this episode! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at remnantrising.co.

✨ If this message speaks to you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it today.

#RemnantRising #Repentance #Revival #JesusIsLord

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In this episode, we’ll talk about:

• Why silence is not an option for the remnant church

• The urgency of raising our voices and having hard conversations

• How belief must lead to transformation and holiness

• The call to use our platforms to boldly declare the truth of Jesus

The remnant is rising. Will you take your stand?

👉 Share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to step into bold faith.

➡️ This video contains music from Shutterstock, licensed by Splice video editing app.

In this episode, I share about the struggle many of us face—hearing God clearly. There’s a real battle for clarity, but the good news is, God is still speaking. The key is simple: we have to obey our way into clarity. I’ll talk about why obedience matters, how faith grows when we trust God with the unknown, and practical ways to take the next step He’s already shown us. Whether you need direction, encouragement, or a fresh start with Jesus, this message will help you move forward with confidence in Him.

SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY:

https://shareyourtestimony.us

➡️ let me know in the comments if I can pray for you!🙏😀

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