WHOSE JACKET ARE YOU WEARING?

I have a potent prophetic word to release over you as we start this week. As I was praying over this week, I kept hearing the Lord say over the pioneers, the remnant, and over His warrior worship Bride, “Whose jacket have you been wearing?”

It reminded me of 1 Kings 19:9, where God said to Elijah when he was hiding in the cave;

“Elijah! Why are you here?”

It startled me because it came with so much authority, and I felt it, and I was even pondering it for myself. The phrase made me take a step back and even reassess "What have I been wearing?

You see, we are in a moment very much like the story of Elijah throwing his mantle upon Elisha and calling him into his true calling.

We know that the enemy loves nothing more than to lead the church - especially the lions - to counterfeits, and to lead you and me to things that are lesser than what we've been called to.

The enemy wants us to babysit someone else's mantle while calling it ours, so that we forget or never see the true thing that we're called to step into.

This has been one of the greatest illusionist tricks of the last 20 to 30 years. The enemy has pulled the wool over so many people's eyes who are called to greatness, who are called to break ground, who are called to pioneer, who are called to release a word of the Lord that shatters demonic strongholds and principalities and regions and nations.

To call down fire in areas where culture has superimposed itself and raised up false kings.

It's duped us in our past season. It's robbed us. It's left us in tatters because there are areas we expected fruit, but haven't seen fruit.

And many are looking around and saying, “What did we lay everything down for? What did we step out for? What did we pioneer for?”

We can definitely see the trail and traces of the call of the Lord, as well as the obedience to step out. But there are also seasons and moments where we blindly fell into Christian activity that led us astray - that led us into wearing mantles and jackets of man, or religion, mantles of things that we weren't meant to carry, leaving us burnt out.

It's left us disillusioned, living in anxiety, regret, and deep discouragement.

The cost of it has been trauma and pain and woundedness, disillusionment with God, and feeling abandoned.

There are some who are even wrestling with their faith right now, because they've been living under the heavy mantles of oppression that were never meant to be upon them.

And I know that this is an analogy that's often used, but David could not wear the mantle of Saul. He knew that he had to step out to fight with just five stones.

And I believe that this isn’t just a word for the Body of Christ, but this is specifically a word for the pioneers.

You see, when you come out of that system and you've come out of that environment and you've gone through the season of healing from being under people's mantles for so long, you feel naked and exposed.

And when God's given you a calling, He's given you a mandate. He's told you, “Step out and do this.” It is very tempting to want to put on the armor of Saul while you feel uncovered and naked, right?

And I want to say to the many right now that have been walking through the season where you've stepped out of so many mantles and old things that have left you high and dry, you're looking at your hands, and all you see are a few stones and a massive giant before you. I know it's very tempting to put on something you were never meant to wear just so that you don't feel naked.

However, it's that vulnerability that will lead you to tap into a greater level of anointing.

Even that grief. Even that pain. Let it lead you out and in.

You don't even know what is residing on the inside of you.

It’s a raw sound, a courage, a boldness, and a roar that God wants you to begin to rediscover that you carry.

Religion has told you you're a mouse. God says you're a lion.

But that mantle that has been sitting on you has only caused you to be veiled to who you truly are, and the Lord is saying to the real church in this hour;

“Rise up remnant! Rise up my lions! Rise up my warrior Bride, shake off the shackles of the religious whitewashed tomb era, and step into all that I have called you to be. Stop dumbing down the gifts. Stop dumbing down the miracles and the power. Stop dumbing down the undignified cry and begin to step out upon the waters, begin to build what I've given you to build. Begin to establish the communities I called you to establish. Begin to step out and build the Act 2 church. Begin to gather people around your table. Begin to go out to the places in your daily life and speak destiny and life over people. It's who I've called you to be. It's time to stop questioning what I've called you to. It's time to stop asking for permission when I've already granted you permission!”

You see, David never asked for permission. Worshippers don't ask for permission - they break ground. They step into the kingdom as sons and daughters and release who they are in the earth, and that is the kind of believer that we need right now.

And so, if you're reading this and wondering what this means for you as we start this week, I feel it's the Lord wanting you to take stock of what you've allowed to rest on you by asking Him, “What have I allowed to rest on me, Father?”

You were only called to be mantled by the Lord.

It’s the Isaiah 61 call. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…that’s it. Nothing else added. Everything else will limit you and taint the ointment.

There are some people reading this that I keep seeing this picture for—a picture of people under tables, like dogs.

You've so longed to be in those rooms, with those people, at those tables, but it's cost you everything.

Cause you weren't meant to be in there. And instead of being seated at the table that the Lord wants you to be at, you've now settled for being a dog looking for scraps from under the wrong table, and the Lord says in this season…

“I'm taking you from those places because they didn't value and honor who you are. They actually wanted to shut you down and cut you down, but this is a moment that I'm calling you to go and set the table and lead the broken to the wedding feast.”

And to the global Church, the Lord says the same thing, “What have you been wearing, My Bride? What have you been under?”

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.’” Revelation 18:4

Come out from her, Church, in Jesus’ name!