PROPHETIC WORDS

A PROPHETIC WORD RELATING TO THE CHRISTCHURCH MASSACRE

by Lyn Packer

April 2019

As I’ve reflected and prayed about the attack on the Muslim churches that happened recently in Christchurch I have, like so many of us, been searching my heart. In doing so I’ve been asking the Lord to expose and remove my prejudices, biases and anything that does not represent Him well, anything that is not truly representative of His love and goodness.

For the past couple of years the Lord has been crystallising something in me until it has become my biggest prayer, and is now my life aim, and it is something that I believe is on God’s heart for all of us. What happened in Christchurch has merely focussed it more in my thinking and in my life.

I believe God is calling us to this – to becoming the living manifestation of love, because He is love. This is the thing that has been crystallising in me over this season.

The second thing I believe He is calling us to is a fresh commitment to pray for our country, its people and its leaders.

As I was praying this morning I felt the Lord share His heart with me. The following word is first of all a word to me personally, but I believe it is also a word to the church in New Zealand and beyond.

Prophetic Word

Love is not wishy-washy, it is not weak, allowing an ‘anything goes’ attitude and practice. Love is not adopting a tolerance of all things; that is an aberration of love. Love does not tolerate evil intent or evil practices. Love does not tolerate treating others with disrespect, and hurting others. It does not tolerate, or endorse, self-hatred or other-centred hatred and destructive tendencies and behaviours. Love builds up, calls people up to being the best them, and encourages others. This is what I am calling you into – an outworking of your new nature and character in Me. I am love and you are becoming love. That is the work that I am doing in this season. And in this time I am calling you to stocktake – to allow Me to search your heart and expose anything there that is not of Me, anything that will stop you truly portraying who I am to a world that is hurting, fearful and confused about themselves, and about Me.

Application

A part of the problem is this – we don’t love ourselves because we don’t see ourselves as He does. Over the past twenty or so years there is one thing that God has relentlessly been working on in the lives of His children worldwide – our identity! Everything flows out of that – all our attitudes and behaviours etc. They all flow out of what we know and believe about ourselves. If God is love, and we are created in His image, if we have become His children and carry His likeness, having Christ living within us, then we, too, are love. That is our base foundational identity, and all His work in our lives is to that end ­– that we learn who we are and how to walk as love in this world.

“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate it’s own importance. Love does not traffic or operate in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honour. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving…. There are three things that remain: faith, hope and love – yet love surpasses them all. So above all else let love be the prize for which you run.” (1Cor 13:4-8,13 Passion translation)

Are there troubles in this world? Is the enemy of mankind’s souls at work devising evil against mankind and seeking to bring him into bondage? Yes, but God is also at work, and His plans for this world are not for it to be overcome by evil, but for the Kingdom of heaven to be released and established on earth, that the world may know His love through us – you and me!

In the KJV of Isa 59:19 we read this – “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him”. While that verse was written about the times of the biblical king Cyrus it does show us a truth – that God does not like unrighteousness and will rise up against it. He will rise up and pour out His power and glory like a mighty rushing river. The Common English Bible, and many other translations, translate this verse in this manner – “So those in the west will fear the LORD's name, and those in the east will fear God's glory. It will come like a rushing river that the LORD's wind drives on.”

There is an outpouring of the glory of God that is building. Now is not the time to be afraid; now is the time to allow your light to shine, and the glory of God to be released through you as you love those around you, dispelling fear, bringing peace and hope into people’s lives through what you say, and what you do, as you interact with them. 

I’d like to finish by asking you this; will you join me in praying for, and doing, the two things I shared at the beginning of this word – to make becoming the living manifestation of love your aim (because that is who we really are) and, secondly, in making a fresh commitment to pray for our country and its leaders.

BIO