nateandchristy2018

Have you been shipwrecked by a Saul season?

nateandchristy2018

Have you been shipwrecked by a Saul season?

Have you been shipwrecked by a Saul season?

(EXCERPT FROM "THE WILD ONES"

How we deal with the deepest wounds matters, and there are wounds that do seem to go deeper than others. They go deeper than words of accusation, being rejected, or being passed over. These are the wounds that far too many who experience them never seem to move on from them, but that statistic is changing. I am talking about father wounds, dishonor, and betrayal.

Saul was David’s father-in-law and while Saul started off admiring David, he became extremely jealous of the favor and presence on his life, and Saul sought to kill him.

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul (1 Samuel 18:10–12).

Saul represents the fathers, leaders, and figures we all know in life who are meant to champion us, raise us, empower us, and cover/protect us, but because of insecurity, they fall prey to being a Saul in our lives. It’s quite ironic that a parental, spiritual figure that is meant to nurture and enhance the call of God on us can be the greatest threat to it. Many gifted and anointed people I know haven’t survived the Sauls in their lives. They are derailed and assassinated and alienated from their destinies.

People ask me this question all the time: Then if Sauls can be so destructive, why does God allow them? Firstly, you must remember that what is a “Saul test” to the Davids, is a “David test” to the Sauls. When we deal with a leader who acts as a Saul out of insecurity, the test we face is equally for them. Will they lift us up and propel us further than they have been? I’ll talk more about fathering in the chapters to come, but for now, I want to focus on the wilderness trial of dealing with Sauls, and then walking out the pain of being at the scary end of a Saul’s insecure rampage.

It’s one thing to raise people from orphans, but the real test is what fathers and mothers do when they mature and become powerful. In our years of raising up world changers in our school, we have seen time and time again people surpass us, and it blesses us, but if we got insecure, we could potentially be the greatest threat to their calling.

PINOCHIO’S CONUNDRUM

The story of Pinocchio has always spoken to me in an unusual way because I felt like a puppet on strings in the institutional church setting, but especially to the spiritual fathers I submitted, knowing they wanted something from me. In the story of Pinocchio , these are the characters and whom they represent in this context:

  • Pinocchio—orphan (not real son) who desperately wants to prove himself. Nose grows when he lies, which shows how Pinocchio sees his personal shame as external.
  • Geppetto—Father God who desires family at any cost and loves even when we stray from Him.
  • Jiminy Cricket—the voice of the Holy Spirit who tells us right from wrong.
  • Stromboli—the counterfeit father who controls, extorts, and uses Pinocchio for money and gain.

There is a strange dynamic and almost a synergy between the orphan and the counterfeit father in that they are both looking to each other. The orphan desires validation while the insecure father wants people he can control and manipulate for his devices to use as steppingstones for his goals and dreams. I know this because I was Pinocchio, desperately wanting a father figure’s approval. I would have done anything for it, even if I was oppressed in it.

Many years ago, when I was beginning to realize this unhealthy dynamic, I had a call from a friend of mine who said, “I have a word for you.”

“Okay, great what is it?” I said.

He replied in a comedic way, “The Lord says, ‘You’re a real boy!’”

This strange word really blessed me and made me sever a tie I had a with a Stromboli in my life. I didn’t need strings. I didn’t need flattery and false validation at the cost of my destiny. That day, I stopped trying to find fathers and began to pursue the Father.

TOUCH NOT GOD’S ANOINTED

So how do you pass the test when dealing with a Saul? I have asked God that for years as I’ve walked through some of the most painful woundings by people I trusted and gave my all to serve. The answer is actually found in 1 Samuel 24, where David finds Saul sleeping in a cave and instead of killing him cuts off a piece of his robe and then walks away.

Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?  This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed’” (1 Samuel 24:8–10).

What David did was more than just fueled by the fear of the Lord not to touch God’s anointed. It was fueled by his love and honor for someone who betrayed and dishonored him. The fruit? Saul was repentant, for a while at least.

BETRAYAL’S POISON

Only three years ago, I faced a deep betrayal from a close brother. I didn’t see it coming at all. It hurt so deeply that I felt lost in the pain and dishonor of it and wanted to give up ministry altogether. I felt done because the road of trials had finally hit its peak. In the middle of that, we happened to be in the States and were invited to lunch with good friends of ours who had no idea of the situation. Halfway through catching up, one of our friends said, “I need to give you something,” and he took off his jacket and gave it to me. As soon as I put it on, I began to cry. It was the presence and anointing! I felt the covering of a brother over me where I had been exposed. Then he handed me his recently acquired black belt in martial arts and said, “This kind of warfare will not take you out ever again!”

In 1 Samuel 18:4, Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing—along with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt—and gave them all to David. It was a sign of friendship, covenant, and honor while Jonathan’s own father was operating in fear, jealousy, and insecurity.

It was the seed of honor David needed to continue acting in honor toward someone who wasn’t acting honorably toward him. Think about the story of where Saul was chasing David and David found him sleeping in a cave. Instead of killing Saul, he cut off a corner of his tunic to show that he would act honorably even when Saul didn’t. Honor is an art I don’t feel like we have fully tapped into yet, but it is a key component for reformers because we will meet many Sauls in our journey, but how we deal with them will be the test.

Have you encountered a Saul in your life? Someone who should have been a leader, mentor, father, or mother but because of insecurity actually warred against you? Have you experienced witchcraft like I spoke about but didn’t understand the symptoms? Pray Isaiah 54:17 today over yourself and rebuke every word curse, forgive the Sauls, and ask Holy Spirit to help you move on.

Dishonor comes in many ways and forms. Here are three examples from the Bible:

  • Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery.
  • David’s brother Eliab was so jealous of David being anointed king that he spoke nasty hateful words when he was thinking of taking down Goliath.
  • Absalom was so power hungry and jealous of his dad that he raised an army against his own father and sought to kill him!

HONOR IS CURRENCY IN A TRIAL

David used honor to see Saul in the way God saw Saul, even when Saul didn’t see it himself. That’s what honor is at its core, seeing and treating someone according to what God says about them and not according to their shortcomings or actions. I am so grateful for starting to learn this in the middle of my greatest seasons of attack and wilderness. I’m glad I’m learning how to honor those who don’t honor me back.

I remember the first time I applied this in a moment of dishonor, and to be honest, it didn’t feel satisfying at all. My innate sense of justice roaring in me was wanting to let this person know how wrongly they had treated me, but God’s Band-Aids and healing balms often look different to ours. The Saul test we all go through is will we throw a javelin back when one is thrown at us? Will we touch God’s anointed when they abuse or hurt us? Will we throw them under a bus when they have placed us in oncoming traffic?

If you are going through this trial, here are some practical actions of honor.

  • Don’t speak badly about those who have spoken badly about you.
  • Speak to who they are. It doesn’t excuse what they did, but it keeps your heart right.
  • Bless them. Send them flowers or a gift.
  • Break off the words and betrayal. That’s honoring yourself.
  • Break the soul tie. This detaches you spiritually from them, their ownership of you and their judgment, and it removes the ceiling they placed over you.

It’s only when you are dishonored that you truly learn how to honor. It’s in a moment of potential bitterness that you choose to not prescribe the same poison to others they inflicted upon you. Can you be a reformational voice who speaks truth in boldness but also honors? Right now, the Father is releasing double honor upon you where you have been dishonored.

If you have been through this trial or are still walking through it, you need to know that God has not abandoned you. That lie will keep you in obscurity for the rest of your life if you let it. Today, ask the Father to encounter you in a new way, release your wounds, let them stay behind you so you can finally move on into what God has called you to without being tethered another day to the past.

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

RELATED prophetic WORDS:

By Nate Johnston June 30, 2025
Friday morning, I woke up with such an intense sense of intercession. I could feel it so strongly that many people are in an eleventh-hour moment right now. It’s that place where you feel like something has to shift… or you’re not sure how you’re going to keep going. Who’s felt that? Like you’re being pressed on every side, and you’re just exhausted? You’ve been crying out, “God, I can’t take much more.” Maybe you’re in that Gethsemane place, or your own dark night of the soul. Or maybe it doesn’t feel that dramatic, but it’s still heavy, and it’s still real. This morning, I could feel the Lord saying, “Tell them it’s not the end. It’s the transition. It’s the birth.” The enemy is trying to make you think this is where everything collapses. But actually, this is where everything shifts. It reminds me of Daniel, where his prayer was heard the moment he prayed it, but there was resistance in the spirit. The angel told him, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand… your words were heard, and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:12). But the enemy tried to block the answer. That’s what it feels like for many right now. Your promise is on the way, but there’s been a delay. And the delay has tried to wear you out. But I believe we’re in an eleventh hour in the best kind of way. God is about to deliver something. You’re on the edge of birthing something new. And I want to declare this over you: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is about to be revealed in us.”Romans 8:18 That’s not just a nice verse to quote. I prophesy that over you today. The glory of God is coming into the very places where you’ve been crushed. The breaking is about to turn into breakthrough. We come against every delay. Every assignment that’s tried to make you give up. Every lie that says this is where it all ends, we break that right now in Jesus’ name. This is not the moment you fall apart. This is the moment you step into fulfillment. Yes, there’s been suffering. But you’re about to see glory. Yes, there’s been pain. But you’re about to see purpose. I’ve been seeing it too, so much witchcraft, slander, chatter, narcissistic and Jezebelic assignments coming against people’s callings. But listen: this is the moment it shifts. This is the moment God turns it around. Some of you have had voices around you saying, “Just lay it down. Just give up. Stop fighting, it’s not worth it.” But that’s not the Lord. That’s a demonic spirit trying to get you to stop short of your breakthrough. This is a moment where you will have to war on your face. If you’ve got a bill you can’t pay, take it into the secret place. If it’s a diagnosis, a court case, a crisis, take it to the Lord and say, “This shifts today.” Don’t wrestle in your flesh, wrestle in the Spirit. Say this “I’m in an eleventh hour moment, but God is about to shift this.” You’re not crazy for feeling the pressure. You’re being set up for glory. And right now, I pray over you - strength over your body, strength over your mind, strength over your spirit in Jesus’ name. Someone’s legs are being healed. Inner ear issues, vertigo is being healed right now. Adrenal fatigue, broken in Jesus’ name. We break every discouragement, every insecurity, every trigger that’s been flaring up. You are anointed. You are called. You are the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13). You are not going under, you’re ascending higher. I break every word curse, every false prophetic word that’s come from the accuser of the brethren. I see someone standing at a cliff, saying, “God, I can’t fix this.” And the Lord says, “You don’t have to fix it. I will. Will you trust Me?” This is where we stop trying to figure it out in the flesh and let Him step into the mess. He’s not intimidated by what you’re facing. Surrender it. Die on that spot. Say, “God, I let go.” Because this is where He lives through you. Some of you have lost hope because of what’s going on in the world, or in the church, or in your life. But God says: “Get your eyes off of them. Put your eyes back on Me.” He’s not finished. Your best days are not over. I cancel weariness. I cancel lethargy. I cancel every assignment trying to pull you back into addictions or mindsets from old seasons. I see prescription meds - don’t go back to them. Don’t go back. The Lord wants to show you that He is mighty. Let Him move. Let Him fight. Let Him show you His strength. And I declare again: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 Put your hand on your spirit. Step out of the flesh. Speak in tongues. Prophesy. Activate your spirit again. I’ve been through battles these last few years that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But every time I hit that breaking point, I get on my face. I die on that spot. And He fights for me. And He’ll fight for you. Lord, show them today. Show them Your goodness. Your favor. Your mercy. Put your hands on your ears and say, “God, deliver me from every lie I’ve believed. Every bit of poison that’s stolen my joy and hope.” Restore marriages, Lord. Restore prodigals. Restore families. Break every yoke in Jesus’ name. That spirit of heaviness it lifts right now. I see people feeling fire on their shoulders. That lightness, that’s the anointing breaking the yoke.. Fire of the Holy Ghost, come. Burn out every assignment. Every oppressive weight. Every unclean spirit, leave now in Jesus’ name. Migraine, go. Shoulders, be released. Pressure in the head lift, In the name of Jesus. I want to pray one more thing. This is bold. I break every demonic assignment especially those rooted in Jezebelic control and witchcraft that have tried to shut down your voice and bring sickness into your body. Be broken now in Jesus’ name. I release boldness over you to rise up and see that spirit for what it is. It’s not welcome anymore. Where it’s tried to shut down your marriage, your calling, your family it breaks now. Some of you have been under this thing for years. But the last six months? It’s intensified. That means it’s about to break. Let’s do this together. Start prophesying. Even if it starts as a whisper. Just say, “I’m not under this anymore. I’m reclaiming my voice.” This spirit has been welcomed in too many churches, families, and leadership teams—but no more. It doesn’t belong. You’re taking your voice back. You’re taking your fire back. You’re stepping into your authority. We need the wild ones. The remnant. The truth-tellers. The revivalists to rise up again. So step into it. In Jesus’ mighty name. I know I got fired up, but I needed to come on and release this. Holy Spirit is doing something powerful. Now go shake that stuff off. Walk your house, put on worship, prophesy out loud. Fight back with the Word of God. And remember: this is the eleventh hour… but it’s not too late. It’s right on time.
By Nate Johnston June 27, 2025
I have a short word of hope and encouragement to share with you today.. I woke up earlier this week and I felt something I haven’t felt in years.. Like the fresh smell of rain in the distance. I could actually smell it and my spirit began to burn with excitement yet it didn’t make sense. Like Elijah’s servant seeing the cloud the size of a man’s hand on the horizon. What’s coming? I didn’t feel fear. I felt hope. Change. Courage. A new chapter rolling in. Drought turning into a downpour. Jezebels curse breaking off the land after a showdown on the heights. Whooooooooooosh… the sound of wind rolling in over the desert plains and the four winds rushing around the decommissioned and those in spiritual death. It doesn’t make sense. Wars. Rumors of wars. What is coming Lord? I can hear the sound of rain. Coming to wash the land and usher in revival. I feel the morning dew on my feet of a new day dawning after being in midnight for so long… And I feel like we are coming out of a dark winter. Winters death. And right now I can see the tired old casing that had been spiritually resting on us lifting. The old mantle. The old cocoon. The wandering in the desert. The long and hard battle that has seeped into our skin and worn us down little by little. Burnt out. Used up. Exhausted… dead even. But I could see for the first time a muscle coming to the surface. A fight and a stamina I haven’t felt in years. A ferocity humming under the surface of the deep. Brrrrrrrrrr. Like tremors unsettling the debris, ashes, and rubble that we have collected. Old warriors rising.. The disillusioned rising with new eyes and un-yoked from the past. Yes, winter has passed. Springtime has come. A ripening is here. Hunger is here. Awakening is here in the worst of moments for it to come by natural standards. But that’s when it rolls in and does the most damage against darkness. Like Jesus waking up Lazarus who was 4 days dead, God right now is waking up his church. Chaos surrounds us in the earth but if you’ll ascend the hill of the Lord you’ll see it - the season has changed. You are coming into a new day, out of defeat, apathy, robbery, and putting on strength, hope, and clarity in Jesus name, and God is turning dead bones army back into an army of hope carriers and storm breakers again!
By Nate Johnston June 30, 2025
Friday morning, I woke up with such an intense sense of intercession. I could feel it so strongly that many people are in an eleventh-hour moment right now. It’s that place where you feel like something has to shift… or you’re not sure how you’re going to keep going. Who’s felt that? Like you’re being pressed on every side, and you’re just exhausted? You’ve been crying out, “God, I can’t take much more.” Maybe you’re in that Gethsemane place, or your own dark night of the soul. Or maybe it doesn’t feel that dramatic, but it’s still heavy, and it’s still real. This morning, I could feel the Lord saying, “Tell them it’s not the end. It’s the transition. It’s the birth.” The enemy is trying to make you think this is where everything collapses. But actually, this is where everything shifts. It reminds me of Daniel, where his prayer was heard the moment he prayed it, but there was resistance in the spirit. The angel told him, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand… your words were heard, and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:12). But the enemy tried to block the answer. That’s what it feels like for many right now. Your promise is on the way, but there’s been a delay. And the delay has tried to wear you out. But I believe we’re in an eleventh hour in the best kind of way. God is about to deliver something. You’re on the edge of birthing something new. And I want to declare this over you: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is about to be revealed in us.”Romans 8:18 That’s not just a nice verse to quote. I prophesy that over you today. The glory of God is coming into the very places where you’ve been crushed. The breaking is about to turn into breakthrough. We come against every delay. Every assignment that’s tried to make you give up. Every lie that says this is where it all ends, we break that right now in Jesus’ name. This is not the moment you fall apart. This is the moment you step into fulfillment. Yes, there’s been suffering. But you’re about to see glory. Yes, there’s been pain. But you’re about to see purpose. I’ve been seeing it too, so much witchcraft, slander, chatter, narcissistic and Jezebelic assignments coming against people’s callings. But listen: this is the moment it shifts. This is the moment God turns it around. Some of you have had voices around you saying, “Just lay it down. Just give up. Stop fighting, it’s not worth it.” But that’s not the Lord. That’s a demonic spirit trying to get you to stop short of your breakthrough. This is a moment where you will have to war on your face. If you’ve got a bill you can’t pay, take it into the secret place. If it’s a diagnosis, a court case, a crisis, take it to the Lord and say, “This shifts today.” Don’t wrestle in your flesh, wrestle in the Spirit. Say this “I’m in an eleventh hour moment, but God is about to shift this.” You’re not crazy for feeling the pressure. You’re being set up for glory. And right now, I pray over you - strength over your body, strength over your mind, strength over your spirit in Jesus’ name. Someone’s legs are being healed. Inner ear issues, vertigo is being healed right now. Adrenal fatigue, broken in Jesus’ name. We break every discouragement, every insecurity, every trigger that’s been flaring up. You are anointed. You are called. You are the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13). You are not going under, you’re ascending higher. I break every word curse, every false prophetic word that’s come from the accuser of the brethren. I see someone standing at a cliff, saying, “God, I can’t fix this.” And the Lord says, “You don’t have to fix it. I will. Will you trust Me?” This is where we stop trying to figure it out in the flesh and let Him step into the mess. He’s not intimidated by what you’re facing. Surrender it. Die on that spot. Say, “God, I let go.” Because this is where He lives through you. Some of you have lost hope because of what’s going on in the world, or in the church, or in your life. But God says: “Get your eyes off of them. Put your eyes back on Me.” He’s not finished. Your best days are not over. I cancel weariness. I cancel lethargy. I cancel every assignment trying to pull you back into addictions or mindsets from old seasons. I see prescription meds - don’t go back to them. Don’t go back. The Lord wants to show you that He is mighty. Let Him move. Let Him fight. Let Him show you His strength. And I declare again: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 Put your hand on your spirit. Step out of the flesh. Speak in tongues. Prophesy. Activate your spirit again. I’ve been through battles these last few years that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But every time I hit that breaking point, I get on my face. I die on that spot. And He fights for me. And He’ll fight for you. Lord, show them today. Show them Your goodness. Your favor. Your mercy. Put your hands on your ears and say, “God, deliver me from every lie I’ve believed. Every bit of poison that’s stolen my joy and hope.” Restore marriages, Lord. Restore prodigals. Restore families. Break every yoke in Jesus’ name. That spirit of heaviness it lifts right now. I see people feeling fire on their shoulders. That lightness, that’s the anointing breaking the yoke.. Fire of the Holy Ghost, come. Burn out every assignment. Every oppressive weight. Every unclean spirit, leave now in Jesus’ name. Migraine, go. Shoulders, be released. Pressure in the head lift, In the name of Jesus. I want to pray one more thing. This is bold. I break every demonic assignment especially those rooted in Jezebelic control and witchcraft that have tried to shut down your voice and bring sickness into your body. Be broken now in Jesus’ name. I release boldness over you to rise up and see that spirit for what it is. It’s not welcome anymore. Where it’s tried to shut down your marriage, your calling, your family it breaks now. Some of you have been under this thing for years. But the last six months? It’s intensified. That means it’s about to break. Let’s do this together. Start prophesying. Even if it starts as a whisper. Just say, “I’m not under this anymore. I’m reclaiming my voice.” This spirit has been welcomed in too many churches, families, and leadership teams—but no more. It doesn’t belong. You’re taking your voice back. You’re taking your fire back. You’re stepping into your authority. We need the wild ones. The remnant. The truth-tellers. The revivalists to rise up again. So step into it. In Jesus’ mighty name. I know I got fired up, but I needed to come on and release this. Holy Spirit is doing something powerful. Now go shake that stuff off. Walk your house, put on worship, prophesy out loud. Fight back with the Word of God. And remember: this is the eleventh hour… but it’s not too late. It’s right on time.
By Nate Johnston June 27, 2025
I have a short word of hope and encouragement to share with you today.. I woke up earlier this week and I felt something I haven’t felt in years.. Like the fresh smell of rain in the distance. I could actually smell it and my spirit began to burn with excitement yet it didn’t make sense. Like Elijah’s servant seeing the cloud the size of a man’s hand on the horizon. What’s coming? I didn’t feel fear. I felt hope. Change. Courage. A new chapter rolling in. Drought turning into a downpour. Jezebels curse breaking off the land after a showdown on the heights. Whooooooooooosh… the sound of wind rolling in over the desert plains and the four winds rushing around the decommissioned and those in spiritual death. It doesn’t make sense. Wars. Rumors of wars. What is coming Lord? I can hear the sound of rain. Coming to wash the land and usher in revival. I feel the morning dew on my feet of a new day dawning after being in midnight for so long… And I feel like we are coming out of a dark winter. Winters death. And right now I can see the tired old casing that had been spiritually resting on us lifting. The old mantle. The old cocoon. The wandering in the desert. The long and hard battle that has seeped into our skin and worn us down little by little. Burnt out. Used up. Exhausted… dead even. But I could see for the first time a muscle coming to the surface. A fight and a stamina I haven’t felt in years. A ferocity humming under the surface of the deep. Brrrrrrrrrr. Like tremors unsettling the debris, ashes, and rubble that we have collected. Old warriors rising.. The disillusioned rising with new eyes and un-yoked from the past. Yes, winter has passed. Springtime has come. A ripening is here. Hunger is here. Awakening is here in the worst of moments for it to come by natural standards. But that’s when it rolls in and does the most damage against darkness. Like Jesus waking up Lazarus who was 4 days dead, God right now is waking up his church. Chaos surrounds us in the earth but if you’ll ascend the hill of the Lord you’ll see it - the season has changed. You are coming into a new day, out of defeat, apathy, robbery, and putting on strength, hope, and clarity in Jesus name, and God is turning dead bones army back into an army of hope carriers and storm breakers again!
By Nate Johnston June 26, 2025
The hour of the nameless and faceless has come.
By Nate Johnston June 25, 2025
We are right now in the greatest mind war of our time. The Lord spoke to me recently and said, “I’m coming against the mind-blinding spirit that has come over My people.” You see, right now we’re looking at the potential of World War III between Israel and Iran. We’re also facing the possibility of civil war breaking out in multiple areas of the U.S. over controversial issues. But the real World War III has already begun, and that is the world war of the mind. The spirit of this age has crept in deceptively through fear, culture, and media to hit the Body of Christ from so many angles, for so long, that we have become a people being pillaged and plundered in our minds on a daily basis. Recently, the Lord led me to the scripture in John 11:16 when Jesus was going to return to Jerusalem; “Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” Thomas, whose name [Didymus] means “twin,” also represents the double-minded. I asked, “Lord, what are you trying to show me?” And He showed me: there is a double-mindedness, a spirit of confusion that has come upon the Church. It’s leading people away from the Gospel, away from the narrow path, and trying to reason the Church out of its calling and destiny, even in the midst of chaos. It’s a mind-blinding spirit that has come against the Church, cloaked in wisdom and common sense, to lead her into deception. It’s leading the Church away from truth under the guise of love, tolerance, and acceptance. It’s a mind-blinding spirit that speaks fear, gloom, and doom over these times when we are called to speak hope and redemption, and lead the Church into her greatest days. It’s a mind-blinding spirit that says, “Your greatest days are over,” simply because we’re in a season of storms and battles. It’s trying to shut down the Church and make her powerless, when this is a time we are called to wield the power of the Holy Spirit. This spirit is trying to lead the Church into a false sense of safety, when we are meant to be called into discomfort to see the greatest move of God hit the earth. This mind-blinding spirit has created a chatter of witchcraft. It has warred against believers, created factions, and caused us to rise up against one another, tearing each other down. It’s created confusion to such a degree that many are coming into agreement with the accuser of the brethren, with the enemy, on many fronts. But this is not the heart of the Lord. The Lord said to me, “I am warring against this spirit right now.” There is a war, and the Lord is actively warring against the mind-blinding spirit. I believe He is saying over us: He’s bringing us back into peace and clarity. He’s bringing us back into oneness, into single-mindedness. It says in Matthew 6:22: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy [single], your whole body will be full of light.” This reminds me of when Elisha’s servant was gripped by fear because he could not see what was really happening in the spirit. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16–17). This is our prayer today: Lord, open our eyes! We must see what’s happening spiritually and naturally. We must stop interpreting life from the ground level and begin to see from the throne room. The blindfolds are being removed. The fog is lifting. It’s time to come out of earthly thinking. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Ephesians 2:6 says, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” We are not victims of the news; we are the watchmen of the hour, the voices that declare from the heights what God is doing in the valleys. Right now, the Lord is delivering the Church. He’s going to use situations around us to deliver us from our own deception where we have partnered with the enemy, with the accuser, with fear, with compromise, with lukewarmness, and with false wisdom. So even now, if you’ve felt like you’ve come under torment, confusion, or compromise, if you feel the weight of heaviness, and it’s brought conflict or distance between you and the Lord, and the pure call on your life, reject it now. Renounce it. Tear up any vows or agreements you’ve made with it. Lay your hands upon your head and pray: “Lord, as an act of my will, I come out of double-mindedness. I repent for double-mindedness. Deliver me from witchcraft, from chatter, and from this mind-blinding spirit and its assignment. I rebuke it now in the mighty name of Jesus. I declare that my dreams will be restored. My visions will be restored. Revelation will be restored. I come back into sync with Heaven, with hope, and I will see clearly in the days ahead.” Because the real war, the real purpose behind this battle, is that the enemy knows if the Church is blind, we will be unable to see in this critical hour. We will be walking with blindfolds when we are called to see, declare, and prophesy what God is doing in the midst of so much unrest and chaos. We are the news, my friends. We are the beacons of hope, the bell ringers of a new day. No matter what’s going on in the world, we carry hope, strategy, and redemption. Step back into clarity and peace in the name of Jesus. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” — 2 Corinthians 4:4