Winds of Exposure

Aug 14

This morning I moved my prayer time outdoors where it is oddly cool for an August early morning. The skies are full of dark clouds over our city as we’ve had a few storms roll in and out over the last few days. I believe there is something very prophetic in these storms and if we aren’t listening, we will miss it.

Last night as I went to bed, the 3rd round of storms blew in. The winds have been straight line, hurricane cat. 1 force – in Western, Ok. These last 3 nights are not the only ones,, they started about 4 weeks ago with a storm that blew through and tore our town apart. It hit around 2 am and in a matter of minutes, trees were ripped out of the ground by the roots, laying sideways through roadways, power lines looked like toothpicks laying on the ground in rows, roofs were taken off of homes and more.

Several years ago, I had a dream, in this dream I was driving through town and there were many trees laying on their sides, some nearly upside down and all you could see were the root systems. It was dark, dreary, and kind of taunting. It wasn’t a scary dream, it was a dream that you immediately knew God was about to expose some things. As I drove around town after this storm a few weeks ago, this dream immediately came back to mind. I thought about it for a while and for some reason let it go. Then we went without any rain or storms for almost a month, and here they come again. So, this morning, I chose to set out in the middle of these clouds and ask God, “What are you saying?”

As I set outside listening for His answer,, I can audibly hear, “Fire fall, winds come blow; we’re ready for more… break down the walls, push back the doors; we’re ready for more…” This song is titled Prepare the Way by Bethel Music. It’s a song that is crying out for God to do again what we’ve seen before – the old revival stories. It’s a song asking God to move. We sing this song in our worship often, it’s good, it’s what we want to see as a church… right? Signs, wonders, the Spirit of God working through us in miracle working power… yet, we do not realize He has done all He is going to do. This move of God – it’s on us now – we, as His Body, can’t prepare HIS way when we are still stuck in our own ways. Our own ways MUST GO!

Now let’s get back to the storms:

I believe this is the prophetic significance of these storms blowing through. Churches all over America are singing songs like this in their Sunday morning worship, asking for the winds to blow and the fire fall. What we do not understand is that fire and winds may not be exactly what we think they will be. Let me explain, the fire of His Spirit is in us. We are told in the Word that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us that He will baptize us with Fire. His Spirit in us, empowers us walk in this miracle-working power, signs and wonders. But the Body of Christ is walking around in the stooper of sleep paralysis – their brain has the knowledge but they don’t know it in the depths of their being to walk in it… so, we have been gathering Sunday after Sunday, crying out to God – “We’re ready for more” – more fire, more of Him, more signs, wonders, miracles, more feel good moments, more tingles and goose bumps … more… more… for me. This is all a VERY self-centered cry to God. WE HAVE ALL THAT WE NEED! But again – to see this and prepare the way, things in our secret place must be exposed! Our preference is the wind of His Spirit blowing on us so we feel Him so we believe He is there. Our preference is that His fire fall on us so we can feel Him and believe He is there. The wind and the fire that breaks down walls and pushes back doors iare winds of exposure and fires that burn away the wood, hay and stubble! The purifying fire.

This is what I hear the Spirit of God saying as I set out and listen this morning:

“You are asking for fire and you are asking for the winds to blow but you can’t sit in the quiet and hear My voice. Blessed is he who believes without seeing or feeling. You are asking for these winds to push back the doors and break down the walls, yet you cling to them so very tightly. You are asking for Me to move, but you sit in your seats like statues refusing to go. Do you not know that I move through YOU? Do you not know that I have already done what I can, and I left YOU on the earth to walk in the fullness of ME? Do you not know? You are asking for fire, and you are asking for winds – well, get ready! Just as the winds have hit and torn roots from the ground and roofs off of homes – My winds are coming to bring exposure to the things My Body holds on to in secret. Just as the winds have blown and laid down the powerlines like toothpicks – My winds are coming to cause every power that has attempted to rise itself up against Me through My creation, to bow at My feet. Just as the winds have blown through the trees and pulled the dead limbs out – My winds are coming to pull out of My Church all that doesn’t belong, the dead works and those just hanging out suffocating the life out of others will be exposed. Just as the winds have blown through and torn up equipment, playgrounds, moving bleachers in football stadiums, etc. – My winds are coming to move back all that the organizational walls the church has built – I say ‘the’ because they are not MY churches called by My voice. My winds will destroy their structures, their stadium shows, the things they’ve played with for long enough. My winds are coming.
You can hear Me now or you can wait for My winds. My winds will be like a fire in your hearts, as My winds break down the walls and push back doors the exposure will cause you to burn in repentance. It is only through this that My Body will once again awaken to My glory because to awaken to My glory is to fear Me once again as the children of Israel feared Me. You are crying out for it, it is time. Don’t listen for My voice in the forceful winds, listen for My voice the aftermath of it, this is where you will find the fire and find Me once again. But be forewarned, My winds will blow on the just and the unjust!”

As Holy Spirit was speaking to me this morning there was a realization of how internally selfish we still are as the Body. To be fully awakened is to be fully surrendered to HIS will and not our own. We claim to be surrendered day after day, yet we still set things to function as we want them to function, we are building structures that appease the eye, we quickly draw back to our comforts when things get tiring or difficult, we will even go to the point of saying “maybe that word wasn’t God”… all because it’s moving us from our self-centered desires. We cry out for “more” for our own feels but what we should be crying out for is “God use me more to meet the needs of others!” – “God even if I don’t feel You in the moment, I’m still going to do what You ask.” – “God, I want to see more souls find salvation, I want to see more lives transformed, I want to see more homes, cities, nations discover YOUR truth!” That’s the MORE I want!

I believe with all that’s in me… His winds are about to blow but it’s not going to be the goosebumps and feel good winds… these winds are winds of destruction because He wants to build His church His way .. winds that will make or break those who consider themselves His church … winds of great force – winds that will cause His Body to climb on the altar sacrificing all so He can in turn resurrect in us what He sees fit! When the world was looking for a savior, His grace and mercy brought death and destruction upon His son – yet many missed it and still do. We always want to think His grace and mercy are tender little moments of “it’s okay” but from what I read in the Word, many times His grace and mercy for His people was painful, destructive at times and hard… but through the ashes, His beauty is found.

It's time to truly wake up!

“He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers.” Psalm 104:3-4