PROPHETIC WORDS

HEAVENLY INITIATIVES TO LOOK FOR IN 2023

by Nathan Shaw

January 2023 – This prophetic word was also given at the NZ Council of Prophets gathering and Behold Conference in Christchurch, March 2023.

2023 will be marked by continuing geopolitical upheaval. The resulting turmoil will continue to dominate news headlines. It will be easy to get distracted by the headlines, but it is important to know the agenda of heaven. What is heaven initiating and endorsing in 2023? God highlighted four things to me.

The Maturity of Many Sons and Daughters

God spoke to me: “I have many sons and daughters in training. Some of them feel frustrated, and even stuck, because they find themselves in seasons which seem endless. I am establishing three important things in their lives: Clarity, language, and authority. Those who have clarity develop language, and those who have language develop authority. Many of My messengers are hidden, but they will soon be revealed.” It is particularly demoralizing when it seems like a season is taking good things away from us, rather than depositing good things in us. However, God is a master strategist. It is wisdom to ask Him, “What is the most important lesson You are teaching me in this season?” Seasons often seem extended precisely because God is establishing clarity, language and authority.

In the middle of a war zone clarity is a great commodity. As Paul says, “If the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle?” (1 Cor 14:8). It’s as we pursue understanding in the midst of conflict and difficulty that we gain clarity. Clarity comes over time. As we look, and keep on looking, we see what we didn’t see before. Clarity has to do with perception and understanding, and under-standing comes by standing-under. Language, on the other hand, has to do with proclamation and instruction. Once we have clarity we begin to develop language; this strengthens us and enables us to bring clarity to others. Language reinforces foundational revelations and truths until they become intricately woven into the very fabric of who we are.

Clarity, language, and authority are gained in successive stages. Because the process takes time it causes us to value foundational revelations and truths even more. The whole process is about internalizing and becoming, rather than grabbing something and running with it prematurely. The most valuable commodities in the Kingdom are obtained by faith and patience (Heb 6:12).

A Blending of Voices Across the Generations

God spoke to me through a very prophetic music video. The video is of the Bocelli family singing, The Greatest Gift. The song is performed by father, Andrea Bocelli, son, Matteo Bocelli and daughter, Virginia Bocelli. The blending of their voices is truly “magical.” As they sing, “Hear the angels sing, hallelujah from above,” they become surrounded by the movement of the angelic realm.

Heaven is weaving together the voices of the generations. The sound will release the movement of the angelic, ignite dreams, and bring encounters with God’s indescribable love. Realities that once seemed unobtainable—except in magical fairy tales—will become real. David understood this dimension of God’s love and released it through the creative arts. That’s why he declared about God: “Your loving-kindness is better than life” (Psa 63:3).

An Understanding of What it Means to Live in Christ

God spoke to me, “There is coming a greater understanding of what it means to live in Christ. Many of My people define their lives by what is happening in the world at large and by what is happening in the world that immediately surrounds them. Being in Christ is a much more powerful reality than being in the world. As this greater reality defines and shapes My people, the world will see first-hand what it means to live in Christ’s embrace.”

The nation of Israel already had an understanding of what it meant to live in God’s embrace. King David, for example, established continuous prayer and proclamation from Jerusalem. This prayer and proclamation had a governmental authority that extended to the borders of the nation. The nation was in God’s embrace. This helped the Israelites understand, in a seed form, what it would mean to live in Christ.

When the apostle Paul was sent to the Gentiles he greatly emphasized what it meant to live in Christ. Israel was God’s territory. The Gentile nations were under the dominion of other gods. By living in Christ the Gentile believers partook of the “commonwealth of Israel” and released the government of heaven in the midst of their respective nations (Eph 2:12-13). To live in Christ means to live loved. Love brings security and confidence. Its radiance draws people out of darkness and into light.

A Reorientation Around Harvest

God spoke to me three simple words: “Workers carry weight.” In Matt 9:35-38 it says: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’”

In this passage Jesus mentioned two groups of people – workers and harvest. The bottleneck that limited the gathering of harvest wasn’t the lack of harvest, it was the lack of workers. That’s why Jesus commanded His disciples to pray that God send workers into the harvest field. The ocean of human need is vast. Only those sustained by love can stand in the midst of such need and labor with joy.

Prior to the above command to pray for workers, Jesus did all the supernatural works (Matt 4:23-9:36). Immediately afterwards His disciples were entrusted with authority to do the same (Matt 10:1). Before they were released into supernatural ministry, however, He began to orientate them toward the harvest. The orientation toward the harvest was an invitation to get lost in God's love. Jesus was saying, “I want you to be more concerned about My Father’s harvest than about your supernatural ministry.” Those who are more concerned about the Father’s harvest will always do far more than those who are only concerned about their personal ministries. There is a reorientation coming around ministry and harvest. The greatest work of this age is harvesting souls for eternity.

If you step into a Kingdom dimension of love, Kingdom manifestations begin to happen. That’s when you realize that you are not waiting for a harvest, but a harvest is waiting for you. Are you willing to be harnessed with the Lord of the harvest? Harvest equals work, but if you are harnessed with God it is the most exhilarating work imaginable. Are you prepared to lose yourself in God and His harvest?

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.

• Maturing of clarity, language, and authority – pray that the Lord will show you personally where you are on this journey. Are you still developing clarity of purpose, call, and assignment, or are you at the stage of trying to put language to your revelation and message? Or are you at the stage of stepping out and establishing experience and authority in an area? Pray for patience in the waiting, and for understanding to recognize what God is doing in your life and to be ready to respond as you recognize it. 

• Pray for a personal understanding of what it means to be 'in Christ' for yourself, and also for a corporate understanding of that for the church.  Ask for a continuing revelation of the love of God, the ways of God's Kingdom, and the power and authority that comes with being in Christ to be established in our hearts and lives.

• Pray that the Lord will show you the place where your harvest is waiting for you, and that He would give you eyes to see it and a heart for those people. Also, pray that the Lord would awaken other people's hearts to the need to step into the harvest.

BIO