A Divine Partnership

God is not looking for our knowledge, He’s looking for our trust. By eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it would change the very nature of Adam and Eve. Meaning, what we eat spiritually changes our very nature. That is why we must eat right. A sense of vulnerability, shame, exploitation and exposure happens when we eat from the wrong source. Although the Lord prohibited Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the serpent told them “why forfeit your personal rights? Just eat whatever you want.” The serpent seemed to capitalize upon their love and loyalty.

That’s why divine partnership is so crucial in our spiritual development. By choosing to partner with the serpent, Adam and Eve failed to not partner with God, but also by not partnering with each other. The serpent was never a suitable helper. Because finding the appropriate partner allows us to walk in the fullness of our humanity.

One of the greatest tragedies in the garden was that Eve lost her dignity because of Adam’s silence. For in Genesis two, the Lord was teaching Adam how to value Eve, however by not protecting the partnership, Adam doesn’t value her like he should. Therefore Eve is left to fight the serpent herself while Adam just stands there.

I believe Adam and Eve forgot who they were because of the intense battle with the serpent. They failed to remember that in the creative order of God, they were the only ones in the Lord’s creation that could pray, because they were able to commune with God. One of the truths that seems to be before us is that without exercising our true God given identity we are taken advantage of by the enemy. Our curiosity becomes catastrophic because of our hearts ability to trust in the goodness of God is compromised. Because like Eve, we begin to question the Lord’s heart towards us.

We also must discernibly look at the reality of why Adam demonstrates absolutely no resistance when Eve offered him the fruit. Why? Simply because trusting God’s heart is so intimately related to resistance. In other words, when we possess the correct core convictions we won’t allow the enemy to exploit the vulnerability of those who we are in partnership with us.

I believe the cure is to find refuge, not in restrictions but in appreciation. Because without exercising appreciation we are trapped in an attitude of indifference. Since knowledge without appreciation turns into self deception. Therefore we must operate with love in our dealings with each other if we are going to maintain a healthy partnership. We can’t afford to keep ourselves away from the Lord’s eyes. Absorbed with a selfish attitude and attempting to hide in our own manufactured identity. Partnership permits exposure and when love is at the center of the community, the guilty get forgiven and empowered.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

Finding Contentment

What we are filling our hearts with and what we are conceiving in our hearts, are the two most important questions we could ask. Because what we conceive in our hearts forms behaviors. This is why contentment is so vital to our emotional and spiritual livelihood. Contentment is when we tell Jesus that His presence is enough to meet our every need. It’s a sign of spiritual maturity, it isn’t being complacent with the ordinary because there isn’t anything ordinary about Jesus. It’s the call to be completely absorbed in a vision much higher than ourselves. This narrative is where He lives in absolute contentment, and the greatest news is that our Lord has given us an invitation to never thirst again. For in that place we discover what Jesus has a passion for.

Let’s take the Apostle Peter for example, he felt very discontented when he was disconnected to Christ in his denial. Yet more alive than ever when reconnected with Christ on the shores of Galilee. Peter learned to trust the Lord with his heart and it created in him a peace that was supernatural. This made a lifestyle of contentment the very way Peter led his life from that point on. His agenda changed from one of discontentment to one of grace and power. Peter was no longer crippled by his mistakes, and now Jesus has complete access to this his affections. Peter wants what the Lord wants, he burns for what the Lord burns for. That’s contentment.

His self worth has been reinstated in the presence of Christ. While some find self worth in performance and possessions, Peter discovers self worth in his relationship with the Son of God. That’s why it’s so crucial that we know the source of what we believe. Because in the society that we live in there are those that make personal opinions the reliable source of truth. Whenever those feelings begin to develop we tend to miss a continuous comprehensive revelation of Christ. The results of this is that our self worth gets constructed by the wrong builder.

Lets take this example, I believe that one of the greatest obstacles is being able to resist opportunity for personal advancement at the expense of others. Although opportunities are wonderful, do they bring the emotional contentment that you and I long for, or do opportunities add more pressure and fracture the most important relationships? Because without contentment we have absolutely no buffer against any bitterness towards our own shortcomings. This in turn erects a discontentment that doesn’t just bring punishment upon others but upon ourselves. With it, brings the absence of self worth, debt, inappropriate desires for things we don’t need in our lives and a restlessness that seems to never be satisfied. Who would really want that?

In Peter’s second epistle it says: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)

Beloved you and I have been give a better opportunity, because spiritual growth happens when our hearts and minds connect daily to what is completely reliable. Peter discovered that the only individual that was completely reliable, was our Lord Jesus and in our Lord’s will was the wellspring of contentment.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

Finding your identity through Prophetic Perspective

Fear, doubt and unbelief produce horrible things. They can wreak havoc on our minds, emotions and, if allowed to fester unopposed, can derail our destiny and leave our potential undiscovered. We have to wage war against these things so that we can fully express who we were created to be and operate. The good news is that God doesn’t want us to have any of this in our lives. In fact, He has given us every tool imaginable to make sure that we can walk in total and complete victory.

One tool He has given us is the capacity to see as He sees. We see Jesus demonstrate this when after the healing at the pool of Bethesda, He declares that He does what He sees His Father doing. This speaks of divine perspective and the capacity that God’s children have to access and walk in it. Sadly, this is one of the most under-utilized privileges in the Body of Christ.

When we look around us, we see a culture that is terrorized by their past, powerless in their present and hopeless about their future. All of this is clear evidence of a generation that is not seeing from God’s divine perspective. They are looking through a very dark, soul crushing pair of binoculars with lenses of fear, inadequacy and doubt. What an incredible opportunity for The Church to rise up with believers that demonstrate the opposite by seeing from a divine perspective. God’s perspective not only sees into the past and present but also into the future. God, the Alpha and Omega sees with an eternal view, beginning to end, front to back. I believe that the world is crying out for leaders with that kind of vision.

We need a prophetic generation with the courage to look beyond their current situation and through the eyes of The Father to find a way to lead others forward.

Are you a part of this bold generation?

If so, one of the most important areas that we must apply this to is when it comes to our identity and position with Him. In fact, this area is essential if we are to experience the fullness of the life that God has for us. Throughout history, the strategy of the enemy has been the same. When a leader is about to be raised up, the enemy will come against their identity, looking for a weakness to exploit, to topple them before they even get out of the gates. Examples of this are Moses at the burning bush, where he gave every reason in the book about how he was not a deliverer or a leader. Gideon grapples with his identity as a judge over Israel to the point where he tests God with a fleece. Even Jesus, after being baptized, is brought into the wilderness where His identity is challenged by the enemy.

When you choose to be a prophetic leader, you will encounter this assault on identity countless times. That is why God’s perspective in this area is of the utmost importance. Allowing this to take place will dramatically reduce the warfare that the enemy will try to bring.

Take time today to seek the Lord, to allow Him to speak to you about how He sees you. Take some areas of your life where you believe something about yourself and ask Him if that is truly the case or is there some illumination that needs to come to see things as He does. Make this a regular practice and see the fruit that God brings from it.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

Entering The Process of Walking in Your Authority

The gift of salvation is not just freedom from going to hell, it is also a restoration of our authority in Christ. This authority allows us to be partners to establish God’s kingdom here on earth and it also is the authority to bring His Kingdom into the personal/inner earth of our lives. One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the Holy Spirit. He is not only a comforter, He is also a teacher. When we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us and guide us, we are able to tap into the authority given to us to demonstrate victory more and more in all areas.

While this authority is ours immediately, the knowledge and ability to walk in it is a process. We must grow into it through diligent study of The Word, submitting to proper spiritual discipleship, and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us. Walking in the fullness of what God has for us is a process.

Just like any process, we have to make sure we start at the beginning. This may seem intuitive but you would be surprised how many people tend to start anywhere but the beginning, causing them to experience frustration, diminished fruit and discouragement. Could you imagine wanting to be an Olympic gold medal winning sprinter in the 400 meter dash and rather than starting with buying the proper pair of shoes or finding a good running coach, you just woke up that morning and walked onto the racetrack of the Olympic qualifiers for team USA? I can tell you, the results would be discouraging.

Does it mean that you are not called to be a world class runner? That you lack the skills, the hamstrings or the foot speed? Not at all! You simply skipped about a thousand steps that were needed to get you race ready. What are the reasons that we want to get ahead of the process?

Some factors could be:

• Expectations we have or ourselves

• Expectations that others have of us

• Religion that tells us that we should be much further along than we actually are

• A desire to prove something to others

• Comparison

So if you are feeling frustration, disappointment or discouragement, I want to urge you to not give up on what you feel called to, too soon. Don’t immediately interpret negative things as evidence that you missed your calling or mis-heard God when the prophetic word came to you. Please take a moment to breathe and ask the Lord to show you if what you are experiencing is simply a disconnect between where you think you are in your process and where you actually are in your process. Also, do not rush your process, do not allow the chatter of those around you to get out of timing. Allow yourself to be lead by the heart of The One that loves you and will give you all the grace you need to grow into your authority.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

Choose to Engage in the Season You Are In

Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen

Did you know that there are other people on planet earth besides you? There are people who live in the same city, the same town, even the same home. In fact, beyond geography and time, there may be other people living in the same season of life or circumstances as you are. You live in the same political climate as your next door neighbor, you have the same boss as your co-worker, you might eat at the same restaurant as all your friends. However, this does not mean that your experience or what you get out of things are the same as others.

When the giant Goliath came out to challenge the Israelites, David was not the only one in attendance. He was not the sole recipient of Goliaths’ threats, David was not singled out and challenged by the giant. There were tens of thousands of people experiencing the same moment and situation as David was. However there was only one that chose to run to the battle line and engage with the enemy of the season to bring the victory that was needed.

David demonstrates a characteristic that God is calling for in this season. It is a willingness to engage in the season that you are in; to squeeze out every bit of potential that God has placed within it. This is a characteristic of kingship. David’s brothers and the other soldiers on the field demonstrate what not choosing to engage with your season looks like. Probably the strongest example of this is Saul who didn’t even bother to come out of his tent. Talk about fear driven apathy.

So let me ask you this, have you been engaging in the season that God has placed you in? Could not engaging fully in the way you know God is requiring of you because of feelings, fear, apprehension, unworthiness or any other factor be the main reason why you feel like your advancement has reached a stalemate? Could it be that if you demonstrate a posture like David and engage in your season, even if things in the natural fight for you to do the opposite, you could unlock many of the things that God has promised you?

If you have not engaged in your season, I encourage you, God wants to show you how. Ask Him, then do it.

Sincerely, John Harke Team

A Season to Sow

I want to take a moment to encourage you about something that is near and dear to my heart; sowing. Before you groan and roll your eyes at me, take stock of that very reaction if that is the one you are experiencing. If this is the case with you, I want to apologize on behalf of leaders or voices in your life that have improperly communicated the true value of sowing. I hope that what comes will give you a different perspective on just how important it is in our lives.

We all understand that sowing doesn’t have to do entirely with money, it is just that in our western culture, money is the closest approximation to the fruits of our labor. Cane and Abel had crops and livestock that they brought before the Lord, Hannah committed her son to the House of God, Solomon built an entire temple; all of these things had a common thread, what they sowed and offered to God represented their time, energy and source of survival and provision.

When we sow in this manner, it is a beautiful, powerful declaration that the entirety of our trust, provision and survival comes from God. It is a reaffirmation of our redeemed nature that eradicates the seeds of what brought the fall of man, the desire to seek a source other than The Creator.

So you see, sowing is not just throwing money into an offering bucket, it is about the fact that as one redeemed and restored to the Father, it is now your privilege and right as a believer to sow into the fact that God has restored you to your position and your purpose. God is your source and more of Him is the fruit that you desire.

Now there are so many other aspects of sowing but I believe that this concept is foundational if we are to truly have a right understanding on the importance of sowing. Sowing points your focus, you actions and your resources as a declaration that God is your source of life. What comes from this among many things, is that you begin to understand the type of favor that truly is on your life. It also allows you to walk in a level of supernatural peace. I will unpack more on sowing in the future.

Sincerely,

John Hark Team