Have you been in a place of transition? Do things that seem settled in your life feel like they have been changing quickly?
Personally, the last 18 months have felt like constant transition but I feel like I am gaining more clarity in the will of God for my life and settling into the vision He has given me. I believe everything you have experienced over the last year has been setting you up for what is coming in the new year.
We recently announced we would be starting a church in Oklahoma City and if I am being transparent, I haven’t had much vision for it – I love itinerant ministry. I have known church was the right thing but have been trying to negotiate with God on how to make it work. Do you ever negotiate with God 🙂
God has been giving me vision for the nations and an outpouring of miracles like we haven’t seen in history but I have felt lost with church because we are in the buckle of the Bible belt.
Recently, as I was going to sleep, I had a clear vision of the harvest being ripe.
Vision of the Harvest
I was taken up from our house in Oklahoma City and as I was looking on our neighborhood the houses started to turn into cotton crops. Some of the houses had one or two cotton heads and others had dozens. The Lord kept repeating, I’m calling you to the harvest. Go to the harvest.
All of a sudden I was looking at the city and the buildings turned into massive cotton crops.
As I was trying to process the vision I realized – the harvest is all the same. The city might be more densely populated but people everywhere are ready to encounter Jesus.
Upon coming out of the vision, I knew God was giving clarity on why we were doing church. We are called to be a church about the harvest – people who have never known the love of God before encountering Him.
Jesus called us to co-labor with Him in the harvest.
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He will send out laborers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38
The world is searching for answers. It is time for us to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the good news of Jesus with them. The world is ripe and ready!
What’s your vision?
Do you have a vision from God for this new season? I believe you are called to labor in the harvest but know God has additional things for you as well.
Often times you can get caught up with trying to filter God’s promises through our fleshly desires.
I have been seeking God for church vision because I know without His heart I am wasting my time.
Part of the reason God showed me our neighborhood and the city is because I am a city girl at heart. As we have been looking for a church spot I have focused extensively on the core of the city wanting nothing to do with the suburbs. I had to humble myself and agree with God, even though it isn’t what I would have chosen.
A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Make sure you humble yourself and ask God for His best in this season.
Who’s cheering for you?
The same way you can’t produce lasting fruit without God’s clear vision, you can’t produce much fruit without friends.
As we have started sorting through a new church plant we have created a prayer team from friends around the world.
A couple of days before my vision, we specifically asked our prayer team to pray for God to show us a neighborhood and facility. I don’t believe I would have had the vision if we didn’t have people agreeing with us in prayer for God’s best.
For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the many parts of that one body are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are slaves or free, and we have all been made to drink of one Spirit. The body is not one part, but many.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Don’t let hurts from past experiences keep you from connecting to the Body of Christ – we need each other.