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

The Dynamics of Divine Timing

It’s the ever-present topic or statement heard around every post-service meal table all over the world. How do I make sure I am in right timing with God?

“I just want to make sure that I’m not moving ahead of God” or “I just don’t want to let my impatience get the best of me, after all, we are the microwave generation, we want everything now now now, Bless God.” These are noble intentions and taken at face value, are important considerations when walking in your divine purpose. The best place to be in divine timing is right smack dab in the middle of it, not too far ahead and certainly not behind. This is a world that many Christians find themselves in. Every single decision is weighed with the utmost fear and uncertainty, looking at it in the traditional sense can give someone a complex even if they don’t have one. It becomes the most un-fun tightrope walking performance ever.

What’s even worse is that most are paralyzed out of fear of not wanting to miss God and thus rather than risk doing something at the wrong time, they do nothing at all. (Parable of the servant with the one talent anyone?) The good news is that God doesn’t want you to live this way! God never created you to worry, to fret or to fear. God wants you to prosper and be in right timing with Him in a way that releases you into greater freedom, not fear. This usually happens when we make what is not the issue, the main issue.

The issue of divine timing has very little to do with time at all. God lives outside of time, He is not limited by time nor is He under its control. We see evidence to this when time literally stands still as Joshua and the Israelites need more time to destroy their enemies on their way to the promised land. What’s very important to notice in that story is that God bent the laws of time in order to fit His purpose for the Children of Israel. Timing is a servant of God’s purpose, not a dictator of it.

Likewise, God’s timing in your life is about fulfilling HIs purpose in your life. Divine Timing has very little to do with chronological time at all. Timing is a tool and instrument that God uses to mold us and craft us into something extraordinary. So the next time you are wondering whether it’s time to move on something that God has spoken to you about, consider asking God a different question, “Lord, what is your highest purpose at this very moment, that you want me to partner with?” It’s a small change, but when we ask, get ready to be surprised by the amount of clarity you get in response.

Look for next weeks post on, discerning God’s commands in your life.

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

The Key of Intentionality

Isn’t it interesting that when you receive a word from the Lord it seems that everything around you conspires to pull your attention from what was said? Adversity, difficulties, crisis or even just the trudge of the grind of everyday life seem to work in concert to make us lose track of what God has spoken for this season. What this distraction produces is a lack of intentionality for pursuing the Word of the Lord spoken over our lives. This must not happen. There is too much that God wants to do through your life to allow this to rob you of the potential that God has spoken. 

That is why the key of intentionality is so important. 

Intentionality Brings: 

• A position of purpose and strength 

• Causes a re-ordering of your life to fall in line with what is truly important 

• Is a declaration that this is of the utmost value to you

• Opens your eyes to the doors that are opening to you to walk into fulfillment of what God has spoken

• Increases your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

• Eradicates the emotional and strength robbers that are hidden in distraction 

• Releases joy in the midst of your work 

After reading just a few of the benefits, you might wonder why more people do not choose to be intentional with what God has spoken. The primary reason is that among other things, intentionality is an invitation into the new and the unknown. For most people, they would rather embrace the comfort of the mediocre that they know and can control over the reality of something new. This is a fruit of our fallen nature, and yet while it is understandable, it cannot be allowed to rule how we live our lives. Gideon is a prime example of this, he could have stayed at the threshing floor, providing for himself and his family, but God wanted to use Gideon to provide freedom for an entire nation. However in order to accomplish this, he needed to embrace the new and the uncomfortable.

Embracing Intentionality Means: 

• Saying no to certain things, people and situations that are vying to be a priority of your time and attention. 

• Being okay with the fact that people will not understand and may even reject you as a result of this. 

• Having grace and compassion for yourself because what you will walk into is so new and you will won’t have it perfect 

• Letting Go of Your Routine 

• Stepping out of your comfort zone, not just one time, or for a day or for a week, but a lifestyle of eradicating fleshly comfort 

• Choosing to sit still and take time to listen to the Voice of the Lord 

I encourage you to take a moment of intentionality right now, to silence yourself before the Lord and ask Him to bring to remembrance the Prophetic Word over your life. Allow Him to show you how to walk in it more fully, what to weed out of your life and how to re-prioritize it so that you can flow into the reality of the new that God wants to bring. 

Sincerely,

John Harke Team

The Platform of Tears

Tears are given to the church to relieve the pain. But has the body of Christ forgotten to weep? Is there a house that welcomes tears? Tears are a deep yearning for the voice of God to break in. We cry because we long for God to see, hear and act. We want the Lord to set our bones on fire. We no longer want the Lord to be a distant observer but a Father who is intimately connected with our suffering.

The groaning of our hearts feel the anguish of those who have had their identity erased. The ache for healing and restoration has become the sign that we have become fully engaged with humanity’s affliction. Apathy and indifference has been replaced with concern for our neighbor. The intense desire to bring emotional and spiritual comfort aches within our soul. We are broken with grief because we have been deeply affected by the distress of nations. The sight of abortion, the cover narrative of sexual promiscuity, the objectification of women and children caught in the trap of human trafficking, the lust for silver and gold and it’s purchasing power have lost its luster in the midst of sorrow. That burning sorrow for our neighbor frees us from the narcissistic attitude of our society. We then minimize our need to sustain our selfish causes and yearn to sustain our neighbor.

We agonize for those who were supposed to be the guardians of public trust, politicians, clergy and law in enforcement who have fallen into error and corruption. Because a community without the value of empathy, dehumanizes its neighbor and leaves a generation in captivity. What’s needed at this moment is the tone of prophetic intercession. These prayers are cries of hope, cries that plead for justice and mercy in the midst of the community’s exhaustion. Without shrinking into disrepair, these Intercessors weep for the redemption of the past, present and future. Physical necessities, personal safety, honor, and human dignity are what causes the shedding of tears for these prophets.

The only platform they have is the lament of their soul. For the cry of the intercessor is what keeps them from being numb for the carelessness of the unsympathetic. When there is an absence of emotion, society cannot reach out within the range of human emotions. Because prophetic intercession crafts the correct words to comfort nations. No one is able to overpower their hope because the awareness of God is greater than the awareness of suffering. For many, weeping for the disenfranchised turns into action. Simply because they understand that denial affects the social life of people living in a world which hides their pain.

Let us learn from the prophets of old who wept before they spoke, let us learn from leaders who wept before they acted. May our tears touch the Father’s heart so we can do what only He can do. Because weeping isn’t the end of the story it’s only the beginning. 

Sincerely,

John Harke Team