The Spirit and Power of Elijah
Ten years ago I wrote, “The spirit and power of Elijah accurately anticipates what is coming next and prepares the Lord a people ready to respond when the new season arrives.” This mantle fell back to the earth when Elijah was lifted up into the heavenlies so Elisha could pick up an available anointing. Later, Malachi prophesied the coming of John. Many Jewish scholars believed John wore the actual mantle of Elijah that had been preserved in the wilderness for prophetic leaders of succeeding generations: in any case, John arrived in the spirit and power of Elijah.
The angel reveals, “He will proceed the Lord, arriving in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn fathers’ hearts to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous: to prepare a people ready for the Lord.”
The spirit and power of Elijah continues to be available to prophetic leadership: prophetic leaders of every function of kingdom leadership dynamics can operate in a prophetic anticipation. Any leader can lead prophetically; and every leader should lead prophetically. All kingdom leaders should lead prophetically, especially when the season change is drastic and dramatic.
We live in such a season change, and every kingdom leader should be leading with prophetic anticipation, preparing the Lord a people ready to respond to Him when He arrives with Great Awakening Revival!
Repentance
Repentance means, “I change to be changed.” The Greek term means, “having received and believed new revelation, I change my mindset in ways that alter my behavior and lifestyle.” In the redemptive sense, repentance means a spiritual shift that produces a transformed life, inside out.
We confess to be forgiven and restored to wholeness. We repent to be changed.
John announced repentance as the preparation response of his season of ministry because the Lord was arriving, and “being ready” would require a fundamental, dramatic shift in life and living for any person to be ready to respond to Him when He arrived. “Repent, Someone’s on the way! Repent, the kingdom is about to arrive. Repent, it is kingdom come!”
“Repent and produce the fruit of repentance: a changed lifestyle filled with the rich and mature behaviors of a person who is ready to respond to the Lord! Then, be baptized with water as part of the repentance process and announcement, the physical prophetic symbol signifying and sealing that sincere internal change.”
Returning to the foundation of repentance means a believer has walked away from the fundamental shift that initial repentance produced, walking back what he or she received and believed that produced the initial behavior change, and a general recognition that repentance isn’t a one time, “been there, done that” historic marker. Repentance is a discipline of the maturing, expanding, transformed life that renews the mind (the meaning of repentance) to prove the what-God-wants of your life.
Readiness
Water baptism, in John’s ministry, prophesies lasting life change based upon a spiritual transformation. The born anew experience we now live likewise applied the victory of the Cross and life of the Resurrection to our lives, but prophesies this in a way not yet available in John’s ministry. That is to say, that water baptism hasn’t changed in its power or significance, but redemption provision has reached ultimate and eternal finality in Jesus!
Being water baptized still prophesies radical lasting life change produced by repentance, an “I change to be changed” shift that comes from receiving and believing new revelation.
For John’s ministry, the revelation was “Messiah is coming! Get ready to receive and respond! Kingdom come will soon be reality! And, you are not ready because the present spiritual atmosphere and kingdom culture inadequately represents the Law and Prophets. The spiritual generations are not joined, so you have not inherited the spiritual purpose for which Heaven chose Israel. Without radical life change right now, you will not be ready for the Lord’s arrival!”
Apply that principle and protocol to the present season: the present spiritual atmosphere and kingdom culture is inadequately representing the Revelation of Jesus. The spiritual generations are not joined, and you have not been properly prepared to inherit. Without radical life change right now, you will not be ready for the next season of Great Awakening Revival.
That season is here and now, but the response of kingdom people is inadequate because they are not prepared: what most leaders now call “revival” and “Awakening” remains the preparation of the Remnant for the season of visitation.
Nonetheless, “Ready or not, here He comes!”
Response
The rapid deterioration of manifestations of Glory into manufacturing centers and traveling Glory shows reveals that we intend to hammer the next season into the existing structures instead of breaking the molds of mechanization. We are insisting that God restore “what is” when God is ready to establish “what is coming next.”
Definitions of “revival” still insist that God make what we are doing now bigger, grander, and so validated by Glory that everyone will finally recognize that we are right.
So, water baptism was a significant public “coming out” for a new movement, an action that immediately challenged the status quo with rejection and reappraisal. Water baptism said, “What is can never prepare me for what is coming next. So, I reject it. I separate from it. I reset my life and living to the next season now before that season even arrives. I believe Messiah is coming! I believe it so much that I’m changing my entire life. I am not in Awakening mode!”
If you wait for Awakening to respond to awakening, you are already playing catch up to the move of God.
Awakening Water Baptism
When revival came to my life, after more than a quarter century of ministry leadership, I wanted to be baptized in water. I knew this water baptism prophesied the greatest life change of my present and future destiny. I felt it was appropriate, and I still feel it was appropriate. I didn’t get saved, but I did repent.
So, awakening water baptism will soon be coming to FreedomHouse!
