PROPHETIC WORDS

AN INVITATION TO TURN AND RETURN

by Jill Smith

February 2022

This prophetic word was delivered by Jill Smith at the 2022 New Zealand Council of Prophets gathering held in Christchurch on the 24th February.

I have a recurring image of the Father as He is pictured in Matt 23:37 saying, “How I long ‘to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings’.” There is such a sense of His longing and yet His patience and compassion. His loving invitation to us to come and find comfort, protection, and shelter under the shadow of His wings. He’s calling US to draw close to be taught by Him, be led by Him, and return to the simplicity of devotion to Jesus, and the rest and refreshing found in walking the Jesus way. His teaching doesn’t crush us with heavy burdens, His “yoke is easy and (His) burden is light.” He is moving to continue delivering us from the heavy burdens of wonky theology, unhealthy church culture, and reliance on techniques we’ve “worked” to do our “Christian” thing.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt.11:28-30)

An Invitation to Turn and Return

God is calling us to turn and return to the wells of salvation and to drink deep draughts of the living water He pours out free of charge. Just as God challenged His people through Jeremiah for forsaking Him, the spring of living water, to dig their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jer.2:13), He is calling us to turn away from the works of digging our own wells, and to stop labouring for what doesn’t satisfy. There’s an adjustment, a vital shift away from working the program, doing the business, to recognise how thirsty we are for the Spirit, for God’s amazing grace, for refreshing and revival. Though hope deferred has caused many to stop talking about revival, God is still offering Himself as the spring of living water that we’re longing for. Call on Him while He is near. Revive us, oh Lord!

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy…

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on them, and to our God for he will freely pardon.” – Isa 55:1-2, 6-7

Be Encouraged and Equipped with the Revelation of God in Psalm 91

The Lord has been highlighting the idea of “first things first” as we enter the new year. First, we are to be refreshed and repositioned in the revelation of Psalm 91, then we overcome the accuser and the spirit of fear and intimidation. God is our refuge and source of help, and it is His protection and provision we need to continually align with in this season. The Spirit is urging us to turn away from every other saviour and source, and return to our proper relationship with the Lord. Causes, ideologies, tribes, cultures, even churches and movements are not our ultimate shelter, and cannot offer the refuge that we really desire. When we dwell securely in God, then we are able to trample the lion and serpent under foot, secure in Him.

Trust AND Obey

Secured in God, we can stretch out and walk in the promises of Isaiah 54. We are not to take our lead from the earthly situation, the economic forecast, the world news, or the natural season. We must hear, be clear, and partner with God’s Word. The church is God’s agent in the earth, and we are the vehicle through which He releases the power of Gospel, His heavenly solutions. Our priority is always to tune in and align with what God is doing and get in on the action with Him.

Although everything in the natural realm might be telling us to pull back, be careful and conservative, self-protective, isolated, and locked down, that is not what I hear the Spirit saying. In fact, He is calling us to look up, reach out, stretch wide and don’t hold back. He is wooing us out of lockdown and anxiety, encouraging us to look to the harvest and the opportunities He is offering. It is time to advance in the Spirit as God leads, not delay, dither, or retreat. We need to create room, enlarge, keep going, actively align with God’s Word, let faith rise, don’t give in to doubt. We can expect favour and fruitfulness as we walk in the revelation and direction God gives. We need to invest generously in God’s purpose for the next generation and create opportunity for them to be equipped and released to fruitfulness. Don’t delay due to circumstance, but trust the Lord’s timing. I keep hearing Holy Spirit urging, “If you wait for perfect earthly conditions, you will never reap a harvest.” The key is to trust and obey the Lord, waging a good warfare with the Word.

It is a Time of War because, like Joshua, we are Entering God’s Promises

Jesus took captivity captive so that humanity could be free – He is our Joshua. He is leading the church into new territory so that captives can be released. This is not about worldly ambition and achievement at all. It is all about God’s love seeking and saving people who need Him. It’s about territories – towns, cities, regions, and spheres – currently groaning under the influence of principalities and powers. It’s all about love. Love goes to war. Not in a carnal, earthly manner, but with love, grace, worship, praise, creativity, serving, healing, helping, and sharing the Good News, as God leads. We are advancing this year.

Advancing Means Turning Up to the Battle to Wage a Good Warfare – Eph 6:10-18

We must put on the attitude and discipline of a good soldier, really turn up to the relationships, challenges, and opportunities in front of us. Don’t let intimidation push you back or ‘civilian affairs’ distract. Ask, and believe for God to move. This is not a time for being lukewarm, so God is strengthening, healing, and equipping us from the inside out. We need to respond to Him as He brings past disappointments, hurts, and offenses to mind, so that we can release them and have our hope and energy restored, and move on. Let courageous, bold and daring warriors arise who are full of the joy and peace of the Lord. Those who don’t battle in their own strength, but who are graced to employ spiritual strategies with the wisdom, grace and power of the Lord. In all of this, we must choose to keep our love on. Though the enemy stirs up suspicion, hatred, anger, and division we must resist the temptation to focus on the negative or buy into the spirit of accusation. Keep your love on.

PRAYER POINTS

Prayer is not just us coming to God with a list of requests. As part of our relationship with Him, it is us having a conversation with the Lord, which involves talking and listening on both sides. The following prayer points are some things you can talk to Him about in regards to this prophetic word.

Pray for believers and for the church as a whole:

• To intentionally turn and enter into the revelation and reality of God as our shelter, refuge and resting place in times of trouble; to practise focussing and dwelling in the awareness of being wrapped up, centred and secure in the shelter of the Most High.

• For the gracious, loving ministry of Holy Spirit to comfort, heal and refresh jaded hearts, minds and bodies, and to renew vision, and restore hope in God for the future.

• For grace to respond to God’s invitation to stretch out and move forward beyond the limits of restrictive feelings, thinking, and patterns that don’t match who God is for us, what He has for us, how He sees us, what He is willing and able to do for us, with us, and through us.

• For wisdom and discernment to know the specific ways and spaces in which God would have each person, family, group, or church to stretch out, advance, and take territory (it is not the same for everybody and we are to be led by the Spirit and the Word in this).

• For an impartation of courage, faith and boldness to turn up to the opportunities God sets before us, for revelation of our authority in Christ to resist and overcome fear and intimidation, knowing we are loved and secure in Him, and for a refreshing and encouragement to use the supernatural Kingdom ‘weapons’ we have been given to change atmospheres and bring Kingdom freedom.

BIO