PROPHETIC WORDS

LAUNCH TIME FOR A WHOLE NEW MOVEMENT

by Jill Smith

July 2019

I keep seeing the vision of an amazing love and freedom movement, a mobilised multitude coming out of captivity, rejoicing, singing and drunk with love for Jesus. There is something about NOW in the timing of things, there’s a release, a triggering, a knowing the season that is upon us now. An irresistible impulse to take flight, launch out, make a move for freedom. Like the phenomena of huge flocks of migrating birds – they just know it’s time to take to the skies and, guided by instinct (the Spirit), travel huge distances, in formation, to distant appointed locations according to the season.

I imagine that between now and the beginning of 2020 we will see this movement, visible, manifest, and build momentum. Yesterday it was 50 years since man walked on the moon and next month, August 2019, it will be 50 years since Woodstock. Both events were evidence of radical change and movement into new frontiers. This is another time like that. New frontiers are being accessed and new movements are emerging – some forcefully breaking out – escaping from the claustrophobic confinement of familiar norms and forms in response to the impulse of the Spirit. It’s an escape from captivity in the way that the Israelites came out of slavery in Egypt through Divine intervention and supernatural signs and wonders. Egypt, once a welcome source of help and refuge, had become an oppressive slave master. Religious mindsets, wonky theology, sinful habits, demonic oppression, earthly thinking, crazy ‘images’ of God… helpful for a season maybe, but they have become oppressive regimes that we need to escape from, and the Spirit is stirring and drawing a multitude to launch out, risk leaving the familiar, and move into freedom.

I’ve been hearing the Spirit saying, “Launch out – it’s time to launch out into the deep – cut ties with the familiar old ways and launch out.” Like a ship that casts off from the pier and leaves the harbour for the high seas, like a rocket that explodes from the launching pad and bursts out of earth’s atmosphere, like an eagle that leaves the nest and gives itself to the invisible currents of the wind – launch out.

This is a freedom, love and peace movement – a celebrating, dancing, enthusiastic, diverse crowd. They are so grateful for God’s mercy, overwhelmed by His goodness and confident in His love, that they will follow Him wherever He leads them. Jesus, the “friend of sinners” and “Lord of the dance” is leading this joyful resurrection parade. The magnetic pull of His outrageously, scandalous, generous Love and Good News will draw multitudes who will gratefully join the party. I hear them singing at the top of their lungs, “All you need is Love, all you need is Love, all you need is Love, Love, Love is all you need.”

BIO