Recently I heard the Lord say, “A time of unprecedented change is before My people. A new chapter is before them.”
I then had a vision of heavenly books being opened. These books outlined the plans the Lord had for His people. Some books were for individuals, others were for ministries. As each book was opened, I saw a page had been turned in the book. I knew it wasn’t just a new day but a new season for these people. The new page was the start of a new chapter in the destiny the Lord had planned for them. A chapter had ended, and a new one was beginning.
I could also see the seeds sown into many pages leading up to this new chapter. The Lord was bringing to life the seeds that had been sown in the new chapter, and I could see the seeds begin to sprout. The new chapter was one of harvest for all that had been sown in the past.
I then heard the Lord say, “For many, this unprecedented change that is before them is the manifestation of long-awaited promises that I have given them. Many will be surprised by the way in which these promises come to life and the means through which I bring them to life.
“My breath brings life, and I am breathing on that which looks lifeless and causing it to arise and align with My Word. Now is the time where a new chapter begins for many of My people. This new chapter is an accumulation of what has been sown in the past.”
The Lord went on to say, “A new chapter is before many of My people. It is a new chapter, for what is ahead is a complete shift and a new season. It is a new chapter, for much has been planned and much will unfold in the time ahead. It is a new chapter, for things will not be the same as they have been before.
“This new chapter aligns with the new era that has begun in the spirit. I have announced the change in season and the new chapter in the lives of My people; now I am calling them to prepare and partner with the new chapter.”
The Lord then gave me the following strategy on how to partner with the new chapter.
1. Rest and recalibration: “A man’s heart devises his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9).
The Lord is calling His people to a place of divine rest, rather than striving, knowing that He is aligning the path ahead and He will bring divine alignments and opportunities at the perfect time in this new chapter. If we strive and open doors in our own strength, we will labor in vain, and what we build will not be the fullness that Lord has planned for us.
“The steps of the God-pursuing ones follow firmly in the footsteps of the Lord, and God delights in every step they take to follow Him” (Ps. 37:23, TPT).
There is a need to continually be led by the Spirit. There is also a need to be resting in Him and drawing strength from Him, as many have walked through difficult battles in the last chapter and have become weary, and the Lord is wanting to renew His people for the time ahead. The Lord is also wanting to recalibrate our focus and priorities as this new chapter begins.
The Lord is going to bring to the forefront those things that need our focus, attention and priority at this time, and the other things that are not for this time should be laid aside. The recalibration will bring adjustments to our lives that cause us to be more precisely aligned, effective and positioned for all the Lord has planned.
“I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).
“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31, MEV0.
“Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth” (Ps. 46:10, TPT).
2. Renewal of hope: “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen” (Heb. 11:1).
Due to the intensity of the battles of the past seasons and the length of time many have waited for the manifestation of the promises God has given them, many people have lost hope in the promise and the road ahead. The Lord is calling His people to trust in His Word and trust He is faithful to bring to pass all He has promised. There is a need to remember His past faithfulness, knowing the Lord never fails us.
The Lord is calling His people to know their hope is found in Him and to renew their hope and faith in the promises and dreams He has given. He is calling them to look with faith-filled eyes at the path ahead and know that a new chapter has begun, and the Lord will begin to unfold the pages of this chapter in the time ahead. There is an interactive dynamic between faith and hope.
“You’re my place of quiet retreat, and Your wrap-around presence becomes my shield as I wrap myself in Your Word!” (Ps. 119:114).
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
“Let us firmly hold the profession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
3. Reclaim the promises and prophesy life: The Lord is calling His people to partnership in this chapter. He is calling us to reclaim and call forth the promises He has given. As we prophesy and speak out the Word and promises of God on the leading of the Spirit, He will breathe life onto the Word and it will come to pass in His perfect timing. We are to prophesy life to that which looks lifeless, as this is the time in which the Lord is causing the seed sown in past seasons to sprout and come to life.
In Ezekiel 37:4-10, which describes the encounter Ezekiel had in the valley of dry bones, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to prophesy the words He gives him. Ezekiel does as the Lord commands and prophesies the exact words given to him. As Ezekiel prophesied the word of the Lord, there was a sound of rattling as the bones came together, and he saw sinews, flesh and skin cover the bones. The Lord then commanded him to prophesy to the breath, and the breath came into the bones, and they lived and stood up on their feet.
The Lord is calling His people to speak forth, in authority, the words given by the Holy Spirit. As this new chapter unfolds, the Lord is going to ask His people to prophesy His word and life to those things which look lifeless, and the breath of God is going to bring them to life. In all things, we are to follow Zechariah 4:6 on the leading and in the power of the Spirit.
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
“He is our example and father, for in God’s presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t exist yet” (Rom. 4:17b, TPT).
4. Resist the old ways and embrace His new strategies: As the Lord has opened a new chapter, it is important to align with the new season. The enemy will attempt to draw people back to patterns and ways they have operated in the past, but there is a need to be intentional about seeking the Lord for His strategies in this chapter of the journey, as the strategies may be different in some (or many) ways. The Lord is going to stretch many people in the time ahead as He asks them to step out in new ways.
It is not a time to stay in our comfort zones but to embrace all the Lord wants to do in and through us. When the Lord stretches us, He doesn’t break us but instead strengthens and advances us. In this time of unprecedented change, it will be important to be purposeful about seeking the Lord and seeking confirmation on the way ahead.
“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes” (Rom. 12:2).
“I hear the Lord saying, ‘I will stay close to you, instructing you and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with My eyes as your guide. So, don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make Me tug you and pull you along. Just come with Me!'” (Ps. 32:8).
5. Rise up in faith and boldness and take action: The Lord will call His people to partner with Him in word and deed in this chapter. As it will be a time of change, advancement and culmination of promises coming to life, it will be important to only follow the leading of the Spirit in order to walk in the fullness of all the Lord has planned for us in this chapter of our destiny in Him.
The Lord is inviting His people to close fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The Lord is going to ask His people to rise up, make a stand, be a voice and take action on His leading like never before, for He is looking for true followers of Him.
“The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 8:14).
“Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!” (James 1:22).
Lastly, the Lord gave me three signs that would be seen in the lives of His people in this new chapter. These were the very reasons the chapter will be one that will not be the same as previous chapters.
1. Release of hindrances and release into the new: The people of God who have felt that they have not moved forward into the fullness of their destiny in God will see blockages removed and divine opportunities and open doors released. Those who have stood in faith and stepped out in obedience will see the Lord move powerfully on their behalf as they are released into the new chapter in their destiny. The very areas the enemy tried to hinder and delay the people of God will be the areas in which the Lord brings the greatest breakthrough.
“Be strong and never afraid. Look, here comes your God! He is breaking through to give you victory! He comes to avenge your enemies. With divine retribution He comes to save you!” (Isa. 35:4).
“These amazing things had never been heard of before; You did things never dreamed of! No one perceived Your greatness. No eye has ever seen a God like You, who intervenes for those who wait and long for You!” (Isa. 64:4).
2. Restoration of hope, strength, joy and destiny: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. he who goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed to sow, shall come home again with rejoicing, bringing his grain sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:5-6, MEV).
The battle of the past seasons has strengthened your faith and developed your character. As the Lord opens this new chapter in the lives of His people, its pages will reveal restoration of hope, strength, joy and destiny.
“But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10).
“I pray with great faith for you, because I am fully convinced that the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put His finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ'” (Phil. 1:6, TPT).
3. Reward for all that has been sown: This will be a time of reward for all that has been sown. Every step of obedience and every tear has not gone unseen, and every prayer has not gone unheard. The Lord is bringing life and multiplication to all that has been sown, for He is going to ignite the seeds sown in past seasons.
“God will bless all who listen to the Word of God and carefully obey everything they hear” (Luke 11:28b).
“And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming” (Gal. 6:9).
“The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge” (Ruth 2:12, NKJV).
Ask the Lord to show you the new chapter that has started and will unfold before you. Embrace the strategies He has given to partner with this new chapter and be expectant for all the Lord will bring forth, as this chapter in your destiny will not look the same as any previous one. A time of unprecedented change is before you!
Katie Barker is the co-founder of Bring the Fire Ministries along with her husband Aaron. They live on the Tweed Coast of Australia with their four children. Bring the Fire Ministries is about bringing revival fire to the nations. It is about ministering to others through the power of the Word of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Katie has a heart to encourage believers into a deeper relationship with the Lord and see them walk in the fullness of their identity and inheritance in Christ. Her desire is to see believers understand their kingdom authority and position, use the spiritual gifts they have been given and impact their areas of influence for the kingdom of God. She also has a heart for revival and to see the body of Christ united and awakened.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.